Traveling together
by Elmund9
Summary: Kuvira wakes up in an uknow place, with a younger body. She doesnt know what happened but she doesnt plan to see the Avatar and being jailed again, in her runaway path she meets a firebender boy who wants to meet the Avatar. Will Kuvira let a small boy alone and defendless to keep her freedom.
1. Different place

Chapter 1: Different place

The sky was dark blue. That was the first thing Kuvira noticed when she opened her eyes. She could feel the hard earth in her back and the cold winter touched her sore skin. The metalbender felt so pained that wondering why she was outside in a forest and not in a wooden cell inside a mountain never crossed her mind. It was cold and dark, and with every muscle of her being aching the last thing before her conscience faded away was that the trees looked bigger.

The sun hit Kuvira face without caring that she needed this rest. Finish unifying the Earth Empire and losing it in the span of two weeks and later being jailed for another two was incredibly tiring even if she wasn't on a cell anylonger.

Kuvira eyes opened fastly and sited up. Now, with a sun brightening fully the sky, the metalbender finally noticed that something was wrong.

She raised her fingers to her eyes, looking at her hand, without scars of battles that signaled her victory track as a hardened 23 years old woman. It wasn't only her hands, the rest of her body had decreased its size. She patted her chest with her left hand, the other busy caressing her face. Controlling her limbs was more harder of what she believed at first, not accustomed to the length of her arms she miscalculated a little and almost hitted herself. She was flatter in her chest and had a rounder face. That was so wrong.

Getting up, in her feet, was harder to do than to think, but Kuvira didn't want to spend more time in a dangerous environment with her body being foreigner to herself. She took deep breaths to calm down and regain her self control.

Once she had cooled down a little, the ex-dictator noticed that she was still wearing her clothes of prisoner, but they were bigger, letting her shoulders exposed. She had to grab the pants for them to not drop to her ankles.

Even with so many inconveniences she walked to the west, failing to the ground almost at every step. She keep walking straight forward until she heard the sound of a river to the north. The forest was pretty calm and didn't had rough paths so it would be an easier task even with her current predicament.

Kuvira walked a few meters when she thought trying to create a tower to see above the trees and see how much she needed to walk. She planted her feet on the ground and tried to raise herself with the earth below her. Normally those sets of movements would have make the ground raise without inconvenience. Instead of that, Kuvira felt an electric charge in her chi paths, it was painful.

Earthbending felt painful. She tried to ignore that with closed eyes, she keep raising her hands up even against the increase of pain. Something liquid touched the back of her hands and Kuvira had to stop to check what was it.

All the skin of her face felt hot and her mouth went dry but even then she didn't scream when she noticed that her hands were bleeding. For trying to earthbend.

She sighed but tried to keep her composure. A few seconds later Kuvira jumped off the platform keep walking to the river.

There were a couple of women washing clothes in there. They ran to help the girl about 11 with oversized clothes and bleeding hands without thinking about it. The poor child fainted and one of the women catched her before she felt.

Kuvira woke up at midnight, a kind old woman offered her soup and the metalbender tried with all her will to act as if she knew how to control her limbs. After finishing eating she felt ready to ask, and what it entrailed, being questioned.

"Where am I?" her voice sounded off, but the old woman just smiled.

"Little girl, you are in Zou. Who are you darling?" the voice of the older woman was warm and her face was welcoming, in the way grandmothers were.

"I'm Kuvira" she answered honestly, too charmed by the kindness of the old lady to think about lying.

"How did you arrive here?"

"I don't know" Kuvira didn't knew even where Zou was on the map.

The green eyes of the woman were earth kingdom, and so were the ones of the women in the river, so Kuvira concluded she was in there. Free and away of Republic City.

"Have...have you seen other kids?" the old woman asked with shaking voice, Kuvira negated with the head. "I see. Don't worry, darling. All will be alright"

The rough hand of the woman patted her head a few times before she leaved the room. Kuvira waited a little and followed. She got outside the wooden house and saw a gathering of people near a fire. She ducked behind a bush and listened.

"What did she said, Gran Tak"

"The poor girl hasn't see any of our childs" the old woman answered. "She looks too troubled to answer us. Let her rest, and tomorrow will we see."

The people began talking one after each other and Kuvira learned all what she needed. There had been a children kidnapping going out in this village and the near ones about two days ago. Five children lost. They had heard of the Avatar and a father of another village had gone in "his" search.

Kuvira didn't knew if the Avatar would arrive or when. But she wasn't willing to going back to the cell. Something was off with her, but freedom tasted great. Almost as great as victory.

Gran Tak didn't scold Kuvira when she noticed the young girl packing things on her oversized ragged clothes. Instead lend a backpack and gave her food and clothes for the following morning.

"I'm thankful...but" Kuvira began.

"Why am I helping you? My darling, I see a great destiny awaiting you" she said as she cupped Kuvira face "Be safe...now you are running for the Avatar, but you will meet him"

Kuvira raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to correct the sex of the Avatar.

* * *

The path to Omashu was at least seven hours away at feet. To the east.

Kuvira walked three hours with firm steps even if her body felt wrong when she heard ostrich horse walking near, but she couldn't see any.

Kuvira climbed up a tree to try to find them.

Not far away, two people were riding the beasts, one of them was carrying a little girl dressed in dirty brown clothes and without any kind of resemblance to either men.

They were going far away for Omashu, but Kuvira wasn't one to let a defenseless person alone. Specially children. She tracked the men without trouble, finally at noon she found their hiding place.

The headquarter of the kidnappers was and old and well conserved mansion inside white walls of earth, that even with her chi problem with earthbending she knew that it was hard to bend, but every place has a weak spot and Kuvira would have failed as the Great Uniter is she were unable to find it.

Kuvira found an entrance in the wall: in the plumber. Metal bars for which the dirty water flowed and that were easily bendable. The metalbender thanked her highs boats and her small size, she calculated that she just needed to bend a iron bar to pass. She grabbed the bar, and even when she could felt her fingertips getting bloody she kept going until she let a big space that even a small teen could pass.

Kuvira cleaned her red hands on her green shirt and went inside. It was dark and cold. Too many nights like that, but she was free, and Kuvira was one to look at the bright side when work had to be done.

She put off her dirty right boot and planted a bare foot on the ground. The same electric feeling of pain traveled her body, coming from her foot to her nose, along the sensation came a low visualization of a dungeon with small people inside.

Once she had put her boot again, Kuvira walked silently and wary of every sound to the dungeon. There was a guard outside the door. Sleeping.

Even then, for measurement she hit him on the head, awakening him and putting him asleep at the same time. She searched the man clothes until she found a pair of keys.

Fastly Kuvira opened the wooden door and got inside the dungeon, her steps on the stairs caused noise and she could heard children's voices that sounded scared muttering among themselves.

She arrived in front of a big cell, at least 10 kids in there, oddly, all looked clean and were wearing fancy robes. They were behind bars but all were sitted on a white beds.

She opened the cell with the other key and the kids looked at her with curiosity or apprehension.

"I have come to rescue you! Follow me and everything will be alright"

The first person to stand up was a tall girl with dark brown eyes. The rest followed suit and got up.

They were silent in the way out, and no one of them cared that their neat clothing and bare feet got muddy in the sewers.

Suddenly Kuvira felt her hands burning. Without adrenaline her brain had catched up the cuts of her hands, even if they had stop bleeding about an hour ago they ached. The children were still following her, so Kuvira swallowed the pain and kept walking.

"They are following us, miss!" a young girl said out of nowhere "I just heard them...we have to run!"

Before the Great Uniter asked how, there was a wall of earth in front of her, she looked behind with a scowl to the earthbenders at fault. Two men with purple uniforms and smug faces were her adversaries. She planted a foot in front of her and raised a chunk of earth, next gave a fast kick to it and send it to the earthbenders. Smalls injuries began opening in her arm but she gave them no care.

The two men evaded the rock with easiness, one of them jumped near to Kuvira, ready to punch her but the metalbender duked as a purple light illuminated the place, followed by the scream of a grow up man.

The guy that had previously tried to kick Kuvira forgot about her and launched himself to the ground, raising the earth in the contrary direction of the metalbender.

She couldn't see who he was aiming with that attack, but the mysterious person send three fast shots of powerful fire blinding her with their lights. Two of the blast hit the man on the chest and he was blasted near his companion, falling to the ground with a loud grunt.

Kuvira raised herself up, trying to see the person that had helped her and discern if he was a friend or a foe.

The kids looked concerned at each other and then at Kuvira.

The metalbender heard another set of feets, at least four people, and decided that the priority was to run away. Without words and with just a hand she signaled the kids to run behind her.

They found a search party after ten minutes of running. The group of people were near them before their battle, and were following the trail already, so they were already on halfway to find them.

Just one of the 3 man was a father of a lost child but the scene that followed was a perfect one for the tastes of Kuvira: He hugged his little boy with joy and almost crying.

The other two men scouted the place for a while before deciding to retreat to their camp.

The search party led the kids to a campfire where other two kids got reunited with their fathers and this time there were tears and even claps.

Kuvira expected gratitude, but all the adults were overjoyed and were bowing to her. In that moment the pain on her skin didn't matter.

"He is a firebender!"

The feeling of happiness of Kuvira washed cold when a girl with green eyes pointed to one with golden ones. Even if it was dark and it was hard to discern Kuvira had noticed it back on the dungeon.

The little boy, about a half head shorter that Kuvira looked at her, uncertain. She felt the same way. It was true that Fire Nation people were dangerous to the Earth Empire, but the adults raising their elements as a warning was out of scale. He was just a skinny little kid (that had defeated two adults before)

"Go away!" the father that they had meet before barked "We don't want your people on our nation!"

"What?! I helped to rescue us!" the kid countered.

"GO AWAY!"

The little boy raised one of his sharky eyebrows and frowned "Ok. I'm going" he said and walked away without saying more.

Kuvira didn't knew what to made out of this. He might not be one of her citizens, but was still an abandoned child, so she half bowed to the search party and began following the kid.

"Why are you following me?" he asked after noticing her.

"I'm not going to let a lost child alone" she answered in an almost patronizing way.

He looked at Kuvira, his face, illuminated softly by the moon, was hard to read.

"What? You are like ten!" he whined and stopped walking"I'm older than you!"

Kuvira knew for certain it wasn't true, she had noticed at the camp a losing tooth on the left side of his mouth. He was obviously not older than ten.

She sighed. Kids.

"Fine, little boy" she smiled smugly and his eyebrows raised.

"I have a name. It's Mako"

"I prefer little boy"


	2. Chapter 2

The forest was big and getting out of it required more time of what Kuvira expected, and it didn't help that the kid walked very slowly behind her, like lost in thought.

Kuvira looked at her hands, searching for the very small cuts, as if done by a paper. It was troubling that her own bending was the catalyzer for them and was the most problematic aspect of her old body.

It was odd thinking about her eleven (or twelve) years old body as old, but when someone overgrow their clothes it made them old, so Kuvira guessed her child body was old. She had recognized a cut on her left thigh that she had won after a branch of a lemon tree she climbed broke, leaving two horizontal bars that, thanks to a very good healer, almost faded away. She didn't remember if it had happened when she was eleven or twelve, but even with this shaky memory, she was certain this was her old body.

"What are you doing?" the fire nation boy asked.

Kuvira liked kids. As a concept.

Images of future earth childrens running without fear in her empire or smiling in the shoulder of their respectives parents. Away from her. She didn't want to be near them in order to avoid their annoying nature, but here she was, walking alongside a slow firebender boy with a high voice.

The metalbender simply shrugged and didn't concede an answer to the kid, it was a tactic to evade the outcome of her snapping at him, which was easy when he had an unamused look on his face. One day traveling together and he wanted to play almighty.

"Do you believe the Avatar is this way?" he didn't catch the indirect and keep asking things.

"I don't care" Kuvira lied, after all she did care about the whereabouts of Korra in order to go in the opposite way. "So I don't know"

"I see" he said after a short, peaceful moment.

Suddenly his stomach growled, at least the kid looked remorseful for his body off-putting sounds, but then keep walking more near Kuvira.

The metalbender catched a glimpse of the white hand of the boy coming near her backpack and turned fastly to take the hand.

"Don't ever think about it" she hissed.

"I wasn't going to steal for a girl" he snapped back.

Kuvira didn't knew what to make of his words, his words admitted she was in the right track of mind about her stealthy companion but denied the crime as if offended by the idea. He wasn't trustworthy, at least that was clear. The kid stomach growled again and Kuvira let go of the boy wrist.

"I'm going to share my food with you. But next time you try to do that I will punish you severely" Kuvira said in a menacing tone.

The kid raised one of his eyebrows before nodding with a little smile.

Kuvira didn't hate kids in theory, but this boy was tempting the waters.

* * *

The RockRoll city was one that Kuvira was glad she had never heard before. The name was the most tasteless one the Great Uniter had ever come across. The boy for his part had claimed it was "funny and smart" and laughed about five minutes. Now he walked with a red face the rest of the way to the city.

Thanks to the old woman, Kuvira had enough money buy new supplies for the ones that she had shared with the boy, but the place was so small that it lacked any place to rent.

It was getting dark, Kuvira was de-aged, there was a Firebender child with a big stomach that she was unable to simply let alone by his own devices and even if she had put medicine the injuries on her hands and arm had decided to annoy her again.

"Are you fine?" the Fire Nation kid asked before sitting with Kuvira, even if he looked a little pained of doing it.

"I'm fine" she answered with a bored tone. "What happened to you?" she gave more attention to the boy body, most of it had still the green fine tunic, so she couldn't see any injury.

He shrugged and looked at the distance and the last people entering their homes. The silence between was long and neither dared to break it. Far away she could see a flying bison, going in Omashu direction. But she didn't particularly care for the airbenders (crazy people that let little kids to battle her)

The night came and without word Kuvira gave her back to the child and hugged the backpack, happy of feeling tired, enough as to not care about the dirt and her unbrushed teeth. Next day she was going to buy two brushes and seek a lake. With those last thoughts the metalbender went to dreamland.

* * *

The morning sunlights woke Kuvira before anything else and she got up fastly. Her eyes searching for the kid, to verify he was safe. He was sleeping at two meters of Kuvira, hugging himself loosely and giving his back to Kuvira.

His green tunic looked warm enough, but at the bright light Kuvira could see brown stains that marred the clothes as if someone had spilled water on it. She got closer to inspect the boy back but before her hands reached it the kid woke up and without word crawled away for Kuvira.

Golden eyes looked at green before the child calmed down.

For some reason the boy fear send red flags to Kuvira, but she couldn't put a finger on why.

They found a lake about two kilometers to the west of RockRoll city.

Finally a place to bath at peace, if it didn't mean to leave her things with the Fire Nation boy. He might appear as a noble boy with those factions, but his attempt at stealing had failed only thanks to Kuvira reflexes and that was without counting his firebending skills.

She looked at the kid, who was already playing with the water with his toes. He was about 9, lacking a tooth even.

"Kid. We are going to bath together" she said with crossed arms "You will enter first, next me. Then I got out and until I'm dressed you stay on the water"

"Excuse me!" the boy got out of the lake and walked toward Kuvira "Look, Kuvira, you are a girl. I can't bathe with you"

"This was not in discussion. Now undress yourself and go to the water. I won't peek" Kuvira said as she gave her back to the boy "I will count to 3 and you better be in the water or I will make you a earth prison"

"Why would you..."

"One" Kuvira cut out the boy question and keep counting slowly "Two and three"

The sound of the water arrived to Kuvira at the last number, and she looked at the lake in which the boy was already in, letting only his head above the water.

"Now, you stay there until I'm finished" she said as she began removing her coat. The boy had only removed his pants, she noticed when she looked at his discarded clothes. What was he planning? It didn't matter, she would discover it."Change of plans. Get out of the water"

He looked surprised but still nodded "Fine! Just turn around!"

Kuvira waited a little bit of time until the boy said he was already clothed to face the kid. His shirt soaked.

"Why didn't you remove all your clothes?" she said as she rounded him.

"I..." before he could answer Kuvira noticed the strange way the brown stains on the clothes were different of the rest of the clothes. As if glued.

"Remover it! Now!" she demanded.

"You aren't my boss! Stop bossing me around! You are just a girl. So stop it!" he screamed back at her.

So the boy had a fuse after all, and Kuvira wasn't happy with that discovery.

"Look kid, you are my responsibility! You are under my command! I said it and you do it! Understood!" she went more near him but the boy didn't move. He was lucky of being a child if not Kuvira would have hit him already for his insubordination.

Kuvira felt a chill at that moment. He was still a young boy, one that was alone and defenseless, and who needed her. She was an adult and above this kind of childish behavior. She sighed and rethinked her words.

"Let's begin again. I think you are injured and need to revise your back. I have medicine" Kuvira tooks a small breath "I'm sorry for screaming"

The boy looked at Kuvira and shrugged. "It's fine. I'm sorry for screaming too. You didn't need that. Sorry"

"Stop apologizing!" the metalbender almost screamed. "One time is enough. The rest cheap the act. So don't do it"

He blinked twice and nodded, next he began removing his shirt, that now that was soaked was easier to put off.

As Kuvira expected the boy had an injury that had bleed and the blood had served as a glue to the skin and the clothes. The scar was a thin line that went for his left shoulder to his lower back.

"How did it happen?" he didn't answer so she decided to let this inquire to later and searched for the medicine in her backpack.

"I think I just saw a flying bison!" he exclaimed out of nowhere. "Maybe it's the Avatar"

Kuvira put the medicine on the boy's back without muttering a word. Meeting the Avatar and going back to jail were a pack of things she was trying to avoid. And for the way the kid's eyes were shining it was obvious he planned to search for them.

Kuvira finished her medical aid and let the medicine to dry off, the kid was quiet as he looked at the west and time from time bitted his lips.

"I think I saw one heading to the east, to Omachu. We should go that way"

"That sounds like a plan" he chuckled happily.

He was betraying Kuvira and she was still helping him.

* * *

"This looks old" the boy said and Kuvira agreed.

They were in front of the Cave of the Two Lovers, that had pretty decorations that had been there for centuries. Maybe the guy she charged to reconstruct the entrance wanted to rebuild the older facade.

It still didn't help Kuvira good mind, she recognized some places but everything looked wrong. As a paint that had been retouched and she couldn't figure how.

"It's dark inside" he said softly.

Kuvira scolded herself for the lack of prevision. She had not acquired anything for a place like this and even if the boy was a firebender forcing him to light the place was asking him to overtax his body.

A sound came out of the cave and both of them took a step away.

"It...It was the wind" the kid said.

She nodded and smiled uncertain.

Before they could calm down a rustle was heard behind them and Kuvira and the boy grabbed at each other.

"Hello! Little people!" a man dresses with cheerful colors and who seemed high smiled lazily at them. "You too going inside? Wait my friends and the lake people and we can go together"

Kuvira grabbed the boy wrist and smiled forcefully.

"Oh...we..a friend is already inside!" the kid said with a smile that betrayed the lie.

"Yes! We are going with him!" Kuvira played along and walked inside the cave, the boy following behind.

She hoped the risks they were taking with this were less than the ones outside. 


	3. New enemies

Chapter 3: New enemies

Lord Piet looked outside, he was safe on the fortress that his father had built after the first wave of firebenders soldiers tried to take over the Earth Kingdom. Behind his back the captain of guards waited scared.

He could see the forest, untouched by the Fire Nation monsters, but for how long? The avatar was simply untrustworthy, a mere child who choose to have fun on Kyoshi Island instead of helping the Earth Kingdom.

Lord Piet closed his green eyes, he was fifty, slim and very wrinkled, an accident on training had leaved a scar across his nose and a broken leg that never fully healed so he needed a cane, even then the other man in the room, a short and well build earthbender had to suppress the fear he felt when the older one stared at his eyes.

"Alco, have you find him?" Lord Piet asked with his heavy voice.

"No, my lord. But all the other kids are on Olst Village, they are being retrieved now, my Lord" Alco answered, trying to not stutter.

The old man felt sickened by the incompetence of his man to find the lost child, a disgusting firebender who had become necessary for the Plan, at least the boy would amend his people's sins with his death.

"Capture the kids again, this time bring them here and put two guards on their door" the Lord said as he sat on a chair.

"Yes, my Lord!"

"Alco, I give you a week to bring me back the runaway fire boy" Lord Piet knew that the punishment addition was unnecessary, it was unsaid but hanged on the air perfectly.

The guard made a reverence and left the room. He had only one week to show he deserved his life so he had no time to lose. A life for a life was fitting.

* * *

.

.

The boy hand was sweaty and Kuvira feel a little scared of letting it go. At least they had found the path of the lovers, but with earth bagdermolders in there changing everything the metalbender didn't like the idea of separating. Even with the green light the place was still a labyrinth with dangerous creatures, it was an unsafe place for the child.

The sound of the creatures was distant, but she still feel weary of them.

"This place isn't as bad once you find those glowing stones, is it?" the boy talked behind her with his high voice.

"It wasn't bad even when we hadn't found them. I am an earthbender" Kuvira said, wanting to appear strong and reliable. Even in the dark.

"Sure you could" the boy said "I wonder how they are named...I like 'glowrock' and 'glownes', what do you think?"

Kuvira halted and looked at the boy who was smiling proudly at the silly names he had come up with. He resembled Bolin a lot in that instant. She wanted to call the stones for their real name to correct the boy, she didn't knew the glowing rocks proper name but his were just so bad to not annoy her. Instead of saying anything she shaked her head at his words as she grimaced.

"I know, those names...they are stupid" the firebender boy said after a little of time in silence "Everyone says I'm bad with jokes" he closed his eyes and turned his head away of Kuvira, he was genuinely ashamed about this. She knew how it feel when proud became shame, and the bitter taste in the tongue with the heaviness of the heart.

"They were decent" she finally said to make him feel better but he refused to face her.

A sound echoed at the distance and she held the boy hand more tightly, she keep walking without fear. The kid was annoying but he was her responsibility until meeting the Avatar. She was busy with that line of tough when a wave of earth pushed them to the ground, and their hands were separated. The place was full of dust and the sounds of a bagdermoler echoed in the walls. Kuvira could even smell its dirty odor. Suddenly the ground beneath her began to fall, and she had to crawl to get away of the forming hole.

"Kuvira!" the boy screamed and began to cough, he was not very far away but the dust made impossible to see him. The animal growlings began to fade away as the kid coughs grow louder, but they weren't as troubling as the sound of earth falling on the new hole.

The earthbender couldn't see anything and felt her eyes teary due the dust, she clenched her teeth and planted her hand on the soil, using seismic sense even if it pained her. The images were blurry but she could visualise the boy hanging only with his hands to the border of the hole, his feet moved loosely at the emptiness below him, his heart beating fastly due his fear. The hole was deep, like if a big chamber was below there. He wouldn't survive the fall.

"Kuvira!" he screamed again between his coughs.

"I'm here! I'm going there" she crawled on the ground as she couldn't see anything yet and couldn't risk falling to the hole.

"I'm fine! Go away!" his heartbeat became terribly slow as he said that, and seconds later one of his hands gave up finally. His breathing went faster and Kuvira felt cuts opening on her palms, but she keep doing seismic sense to get near him safely.

His fingers crawled on the last he could and Kuvira had to dash in order to grab his wrist. He felt heavy but still lighter than a lot of things she had carried. He was nothing like the weight of the colossus, so she could bring him to firm earth with a strong pull.

She falled backwards and the boy landed on her chest. He was quivering a little and his breath sounded ragged.

"Are you fine, Kuvira?" he asked as he sat in front of her, he was not composed yet but he sure wanted to appear as it. The green glow had finally came back after the dust settled so she could see his dirty skin and that he had a nose bleed, letting a dirty trail of blood traveling his lips and chin.

"Yes. Are you fine?" the Great Uniter asked, green eyes still teary because the dust looking at his glassy golden ones. He could have died because he was a kid to proud to ask help, she felt almost mad.

"Yes" he raised himself up with a pained expression and cleaned his mouth with the back of his right hand with a mastery of someone that had dealt with those kind of injuries far too many times.

"Don't do it again!" Kuvira ordered and got up "You are my charge and I don't let harm happen to you. So next time you are on danger ask my help. Understood?"

He looked at her eyes with curiosity and there was a small sad smile on his face.

"You are like ten" the boy whispered, next he frowned and buried his face on his left hand "Just ten...you shouldn't have to..." he began walking again and away of Kuvira. He ignored her command but the Great Uniter didn't have the strength to scream at a little kid on a dangerous place.

Before she could think things further she heard voices, like people singing, and dashed toward the boy. Who knew how many ghosts lurked in there.

After thirty minutes of walking fastly were the light of the sunset welcomed Kuvira, who was still trying to shake the scary shadows of the cave, the boy was facing the sun and was just a few steps in front of her. Behind her, on the darkness of the cave, the sound of steps resounded and the metalbender remembered the odd man that was high. Facing that guy and his comrades was the last thing she wanted, so without a word she grabbed the boy left arm and he followed with a faint fight.

The road of Omashu was desert and incredibly destroyed. It lacked the beauty it did when Kuvira had walked it two years ago. Something was terribly wrong in everything but Kuvira was unable to pinpoint how. Her eyes suddenly found something on a banner on the road. It was illuminated by the twilight light so she could barely read the characters.

"Fire Nation road number..."

Kuvira couldn't quite make out the number, but she still felt sickened by what she read. That was an Earth Kingdom road. That was a road of HER country. She felt as in just in three weeks all her work, everyone sacrifices had been taken over and the sound banished for a few seconds.

"What an odd sign...'Fire Nation road'? Is this a prank?" the boy asked facing Kuvira and making her return to the real world and look again the blury characters until the darkness settled and she couldn't see them.

Kuvira didn't want to think about Baatar or the Earth Kingdom, but being one day away of Omashu and with the big possibilities of finding an acquaintance of the Avatar in there, her old demons resurged on the pitch dark night. And that batner was still nagging on her memory as a grim remainder of everything that was wrong, a new problem she had never thought about.

The people who had sacrificed for the Earth Empire danced on the darkness whispering on her ear words of resentment. "I died for you, for our land, and you gave up?", she closed more tightly her eyes but that didn't stop the enemies and allies ghosts cursing her.

Kuvira curled herself over, hugging her backpack. She was scared of the world and repulsed of her past actions. The trilling of the freedom replaced by the guilt of the past.

"Are you fine, Kuvira?" the boy asked above her, but she didn't want to open her eyes, because the ghosts were too scary and the characters on the banter were still visible under her eyelids.

"Yes" the metalbender answered, saying anything more would open scars and make her break, as she had done in the presence of the Avatar, nothing more than a lost woman crying because the weight of everything had been far too much.

And now, in the safety of nowhere, there was no escape for the weight.

The hours passed but she couldn't sleep thinking about everything and everyone she had betrayed. One person above everyone invaded her mind almost every minute: Baatar. His presence and death weighted on her heart. She loved him and killing him was something unforgiven, considering how she was never a match against the Avatar now she realized how wrong she had acted. She had killed him for her own ego. Done everything for a false sense of self-righteous.

She had ended being a coward that surrender to the Avatar, a betrayer of her people (the ones that were still alive and the ones that died for her cause) and the murdered of the man she loved.

A hand approached her and Kuvira woke up earthbending the attacker. Except it wasn't an enemy, just the kid, who laid on the ground, illuminating his scared and still dirty face with a little flame in his hand.

"Are...Kuvira, are you fine?" he seemed pretty shaken and was fighting a battle against his own fear.

"Stop asking the same thing! It's annoying!" the metalbender snapped at him and took a deep breath trying to control herself the best she could.

"I know" he whispered to himself and Kuvira felt a little guilty, but not enough as to apologize.

The boy let the flame die and sat on the tree, giving his back to Kuvira, but neither went to sleep again.

Freedom tasted too heavy now and Kuvira only could look at the stars without daring to ask them anything, for she feared they would answer the same way that her head did.

* * *

Aang curled near Appa and looked at the dark sky and its bright stars. Another day to Omashu, thanks to the badgermolers destroying part of the road back on the cave.

He closed his eyes and began dreaming. In his dream a man in blue flames that danced as water around him was watching two young siblings, both children were clothed in green and grey and were playing near a lake. Aang knew he had to do something, but all that he could do was watch as the man walked towards the kids.

The Avatar opened his eyes, scared, but as he made sense of the shapes of Katara and Sokka, the last of his dream faded away. He lied awake the rest of the night, and as it often happened he wondered how he would stop the Fire Nation or if he was even capable of doing it.

Above him the stars shined without care, free of any mortal concerns and without worrying to help a lost boy in time and place. 


	4. The same guilt

Chapter 4: The same guilt

The sun had already raised, the birds were singing with a mocking happy tone and Kuvira lied facing the blue sky, under her the hard ground reminded her she was still alive, but she didn't want to raise herself up. What was it worth for?

She had gave up everyone hopes with her surrender, it had seemed right, a complete relief of the guilt that hammered her brain...but at the end it was selfish of Kuvira to simply give up the Earth Empire fate to the Avatar (or had it been to Republic City?). The Great Uniter betrayal to her own home had been done in a moment of panic. She hadn't even asked for conditions to the new peace treaty, it hadn't even be any. She was a traitor.

The metalbender closed her eyes tightly, visions of her people suffering at the hands of foreigners dancing on her mind, showing to her the scope of what her mistake had done. Why had she trusted the Avatar? When had the Avatar ever done something for the Earth Kingdom? The only thing was letting Kuvira do the hard work without lifting one of her avatarish fingers in three years.

Kuvira felt so tired, guilty and hopeless that even the boy prompting her to wake up wasn't enough to open her eyes. Tears began falling, making paths on her cheeks and wetting the red ground beneath her.

"What's th...

The kid didn't finish his sentence when Kuvira was grabbed by him and he carried her on his back. Running fastly away of their previous point. She had barelly any energy to see behind her, but curiosity won over.

Two Fire Nation soldiers. They had an outdated uniform but she could recognize the red colors of the people who tried to burn her country 70 years ago without a problem.

Her green eyes widened as plates and a mute scream formed on her lips. This was impossible.

The little kid finally stopped running, and began walking, Kuvira still felt shock but the change of passing awoke her of her stupor and the craziness of being carried by her charge was as cold as water on winter.

"You can let me go" she said almost in a whisper.

He ducked a little to let Kuvira get down. He was frowning and he looked pale, his eyes had dark circles around them and his green clothes had rips on them. His golden eyes bored on Kuvira without judgement. She had exposed him to danger because she was sulking and even then there was no resentment.

"We lost our bag" he looked to the ground "I should have took it"

"You did good" Kuvira said as she touched his shoulder, what had prompted him to confess something that wasn't his fault (because it was Kuvira's) was beyond her."You saved us both. That's what is important, kid"

Kuvira searched on her pockets and was happy to find a small bag of bread. A wise woman always split her reserves after all, and luck had made the bread not fall out. Without a word she put out of the bag the bread, dividing it between her and the boy.

"I can't take this. I will be fine, eat you!" the boy said as he tried to push the bread away.

"Boy, I'm in charge here. I say and you do, I though that was clear" Kuvira didn't wait for a response and throw the small piece of bread to the boy hands, he caught it without thinking. She walked ahead as she bit on her food, hopefully the road was the one that lead to the safe old Omashu.

"Come on! walk boy!"

"My name is Mako" the boy said immediately "No 'kid' or 'boy' or anything else...so would you like please...use it?"

Kuvira lowered her food and looked at him, white face with red checks, even if he wanted to come out hard it all sounded more as a nervous child. Because he was. There was still the heaviness of the previous night and the running but she was not going to give up.

"No" she answered. If Kuvira used the boy name then there would be an attachment, and that was something she didn't want to happen.

"I figured as much" he said as he put his left hand on his hip, the other at his side still held the bread "Why?"

She didn't expect the boy to try this.

"No particular reason" she lied.

He grabbed his face with his left hand, sighed and finally began to eat. In silence.

They keep walking without talking, an hour passed and the only sound were their footsteps and Kuvira was thankful about the calm, but as always something disturbed the calm.

"HELP!" a woman scream echoed on the path.

Kuvira raised her head and put a protective hand in front of the child, both halted to listen more clearly, the screams of the woman becoming more audible every second.

The metal bender took a deep breath to gather courage. Seismic sense was necessary to do, again, even if she would gladly battle wars and take scars for her people (or the kid) being pained by performing bending was always numbing and when she thought about it scary.

She touched the ground with her hand, feeling the electric pain that bending implied with stoicism.

A woman and a man on an ostrich-horse followed by a small group of people was the image that presented behind her closed eyelids. The couple were coming their way.

"I think the man kidnapped the girl!" the child had climbed a big rock and was looking at some distant point "Hide behind there, when they get near here I will deal with him!"

Kuvira stared at the boy who was still looking at the distance. She didn't care about his ability with light bending, he was just a child exposing himself to danger and talking in patronizing ways to Kuvira.

"Already said I'm in charge!" the boy cocked his head to look at Kuvira after she spoke, again holding an humorous grin. The metalbender continued to talk without losing any beat "You hide, I deal with it!"

"I got a better plan. You are first line of attack. When he is crossing this place you raise a wall of earth in front of the ride-bird thing, next you attack from the left and I from the right, deal?"

Kuvira liked the plan, it stung on her pride that a 8 years old formed it, but a good idea was one without mattering who voiced it over (Bolin had been the first asking to make laser beams "As Unavatu!")

They both hided at each side of the road behind the rocks, they had luck to be small. Kuvira planted her hand on the ground, feelings the steeps of the horse-ostrich and counting in her mind how many seconds it spend on moving. Timing was crucial. She put both hands in front of her in fists, breathed once, and channeled the earth as she raised her fists up to the right, the ostrich-horse couldn't evade on time and the two persons and the animal crashed against the wall.

A wetness traveled Kuvira arms and she took a moment to look at the reddish-orange blood, an unknown fear began creeping in her spine. Before she could discern fully what was the feeling the sound of fire took her back to reality.

The child was talented, but the man was twice his size and was good feed, so every flame was suffocated with earth, leaving smokes of dust at every blast.

"Those clothes" the man whispered with a wicked smile as he got closer to the boy. At the same moment Kuvira launched a rock against the rotten earth bender, but the man ducked and grabbed the kid with a fast movement. Kuvira halted for a second to appreciate the situation better, she took the chance and with a fast movement of her left wrist launched another set of rocks to the man.

The man fall back and did a last intent to grab the child that had removed himself of the shirt and was running at the side of Kuvira, she could take the earthbender when she wanted, he was unable to counter the power that the Great Uniter holded, she wanted him to know that.

Before she could show off more on her abilities the sound of a group of people distracted her and the man took it as he cue to raise a wall of dust. When it settled the man was gone as the coward he was.

"Thank you!" Kuvira felt a softness against her back and her brain barely registered she was being hugged, by a woman with big assets. Something about it made Kuvira flush but not so much as the little kid, who was being hugged alongside her and was totally pink.

The woman that had been kidnapped was the daughter of a wealthy and kind man who resembled Baatar a lot.

Kuvira and the boy found themselves at a feast on their honor, she dressed with a pretty blouse with yellow flowers and with trousers of the same green color. The kid had a new long sleeve shirt and a gray pant with a golden belt.

They ate and at the end of the day were took to the guest room and gave greyish pajamas. The boy was happily revising the big bed. Kuvira felt good too, she had finally used decent soap to wash.

"What a day!" the kid sighed with a grin "We made a great team back there, didn't we?"

"Sure we did...I take you were happy with being hugged the most" Kuvira teased the boy.

"What?!" he flushed red but he composed a few seconds later "No! And weren't you like checking Mister Baul"

"He resembled someone I know" Kuvira answered honestly, she had drank a little on the feast and her tongue was free to talk without fear "My first love, what is your excuse?"

"She did too..."the boy answered with raised eyebrows, then looked sadly at the floor"My first crush I mean"

"Really?" Kuvira sat down at his side "How so?"

"It's a funny history! You see..there was this really pretty girl with a really pretty voice...she sang on a concert on Yue bay, she gifted me a flower" he smiled fondly "She was kind with me, and she said that we were going to get married one day when we were at the park...but her father scolded her for talking with me, here comes the funny part" he sounded.. drunk? Kuvira realized she should had been more careful, he kept smiling "Next day she calls me 'dirty rat boy'...Ha! Ha! Isn't it funny? Like...funny, because she was right and I believed I changed but I didn't...Ha!Ha! So funny! Funny!"

The boy closed his eyes and went to sleep still muttering "funny" over and over, she expected him to cry but even if his face looked pained he didn't shed a single tear. Kuvira put a blanket over him and went to sleep. It hadn't be funny.

* * *

Kuvira awoke with a small headache but by midday she and the boy were already on the road to Omashu. Supplies filled and another set of clothes, she wore a green trouser a little below her knees and a yellow blouse, over it an olive coat. The boy had the same clothes that at the party.

The road was silent and no one else was traveling it, which was quite of odd. On the back of her head Kuvira felt guilty for not seeking information about what was happening but there was a deeper fear that something horribly wrong was happening because Kuvira had failed.

They got tired after walking forty minutes and decided to rest at the shadow of a tree, and as always Kuvira mind came back to her mistakes.

"I hope Republic City is fine, I didn't expect that the Fire Lord would do something like this" the boy said as he looked far away.

"Sure it is. It got the Avatar!" Kuvira didn't want to sound mad, but the anger she felt was overwhelming.

"Yeah...Korra" the boy bitted his lips and glanced to his boots.

"What's that? What happened to the Avatar?" Kuvira feel almost afraid to hear the answer.

"She..she had to take a vacation...with Asami. In the spirit world" his voice almost sounded hurt but it barely registered on the metalbender head.

"WHAT!"

Kuvira felt riled. Her country was being invaded and the Avatar, as expected, betrayed her trust. No one but her could help her home.

"I'm sure Korra is back by now!" the boy reassured her without meeting her eyes.

"And meanwhile everyone suffers!" in the back of her head Kuvira knew how unreasonable she was for fighting against a little boy and even her unfairness to the Avatar. Only Kuvira was to blame.

"She...has suffered a lot" the boy gulped a little "She needed it"

"And the people of the Earth Kingdom don't?! There are people dying! What about them? Don't we matter!" she said almost on his face but he standed strong on his ground, unflinching "Does the Avatar even care!?"

"I don't know!" he pushed Kuvira with his right hand "I don't know anylonger, I believed I did! But now all is wrong! I am not me! Korra is gone! With Asami! And I don't know anylonger!" he crossed his arms, lips trembling and he sniffed without crying "So! Stop it!"

He was shaking after the outburst and his eyebrows were down. He was holding his tears.

Kuvira didn't care anymore, she got up and began walking, she didn't want to be near anyone.

She keep walking, faster. Trying to bury the desire of lashing more against the boy. He didn't deserve that from Kuvira; it wasn't his fault that she had believed on the Avatar word or that the Earth Kingdom was being prey for other nations. All was all her fault. Failing her home, her soldiers and people were the only things Kuvira was good at.

She had betrayed them, let Baatar death go to waste, even if trying to defeat the Avatar would had been useless she had give up easily. She was a traitor to her country and her men. And unlike the past night she was to awake to be saved by sleep. All the feelings were too much for her, painful and growing as a mantle of thorns.

The boy hand touched Kuvira arm and she faced him with tears in her eyes.

Mako seemed confused but even then he opened his arms to Kuvira, led her to a hug, and the metalbender cried on the smaller shoulder of her companion.

The hug was similar to Korra's, but even knowing it Kuvira leaned on, happy to let her heart beat free, to let go of some of her pain. Mako was a firebender, an admirer of the Avatar, a thief. And he was as alone as Kuvira.

* * *

"Are you sure?" Alco asked his man, both seated on a tavern "I don't have time to lose"

"Yes. They must be in the road of Village Col to Omashu right now! The boy is the firebender you seek. I had almost captured him but his sister is a little rascal"

Alco drank of his bottle with glee, once they had the boy the Plan would succeed and the only thing on the way was a little girl, it would be easy.

"Lets go"


	5. Same old world

Chapte 5: Same old world

Kuvira knew the path they were walking, it was more rustic but she knew it. If they keep walking Omashu was only forty minutes away, then there would be answers to questions Kuvira didn't want to make and worst of all: air nomads that would might recognize her. She hated being a little girl but freedom on her land, even with guilty taste, was something she wasn't willing to give up. And less to crazy airbenders.

She had walked the same road before, felt the same wind on her face and the shadows of the trees and rocks were familiar. She had been 7 and with messy skills to make braids so her mother had to do them. That time she had got tired but her mom kept walking and scolded Kuvira every time she couldn't keep the pace. But with time the metalbender found happiness every time she looked back at that memory even if she didn't knew from or to where were they going. Her mother had sang almost all the way and the song was engraved on Kuvira heart for always.

Even with that sweet memory the woman felt unwilling to even hum the song.

Mako walked at her side eating a piece of bread quietly.

She liked him, maybe because he was a shoulder to lean on, even if he still had milk teeth. Or because he gave her a reason to keep walking. Nothing as the duty of taking care of a child to find her will to move.

The metalbender felt a pang on her heart when he smiled at her. She knew they would part ways when she handed him to the air nomads. He was orphan or at least a neglected child, otherwise the story of the day before had no sense, what would the crazy airbenders do to him?

"Are you fine?" he asked, as always, and she refrained herself of scolding him for asking the same thing "Do you want to talk about it?"

"What happened to your family?" she asked bluntly.

"Back on Republic City" he answered fast, he wasn't lying but he was hiding something "What about yours?"

"Gone, long ago. No, they are alive. Somewhere" the metalbender shrugged and wondered if she was still under the control of alcohol.

"They abandoned you?" he halted and asked with fury, his golden eyes full of scorn.

Kuvira understood his outburst, but at the same time deemed it inecessary. Her mother had been a firm woman with a soft voice that sung lullabies ; her dad, a hard working man that sent money from a distant mine. One day the money stopped coming, her mother kissed Kuvira forehead and went away without making any promise of returning. Life was better at Zaufu that in her born place, her parents knew that and had to go for her to stay.

She knew their reasons and in light of her own actions Kuvira felt without right to get mad.

"They had to. When you grow up you will understand" she answered sagely.

"No, I don't" he glared with almost glassy eyes "I never will do! If they truly cared they wouldn't have left! It has no sense" he gulped a little and closed his eyes.

Kuvira knew he wasn't talking about her parents any longer, she spotted a clean area and headed to it, the boy following her with marked steps and raged breaths "Where are you going Kuvira?"

"This isn't about me. We are a team and it is better to know what is on your mind before walking further"

"You are just a girl!" he spatted and noticing his words looked ashamed to the ground "Sorry, sorry..I was out of place"

"I already said it, apologizing a lot cheapens the act. Stop doing it!" Mako threw a fist of fire to the sky after Kuvira stopped talking and began biting his lower lip "You say I AM the child, but you are the only one behaving as a bratty child, Mako!"

"I know!" he began pacing "I just..Agh! I'm so...Ugh! Fine! What do you want to know? About my parents? About Korra? Bolin? Who? I don't care! I NEVER did!" he talked fastly, his face was red and all his body was shaking.

Before Kuvira could make sense of any of Mako words the sound of earth being bended catched her ears and with a fast jump she moved away of a chunk of rock.

"Kuvi..!" the boy received an attack on his stomach and felt to the ground before finishing his sentence.

The metalbender gave Mako a small glance before looking at their attackers. Two men, one of them the guy that tried to kidnap the woman the day before.

"Hand over the boy and we would leave you, princess!" the bandit said with a smug smile. The other one, the leader, who was a good earthbender, looked at Mako and then at Kuvira.

"I had wondered why one of us would save a firebender scum. But your punny mixed family matters nothing to the Earth Kingdom!" the man kicked the ground towards Mako, who was clutching on the ground helplessly.

Kuvira barely registered her feets moving and it was until she could hear her own scream that her mind catched that it would had been wiser to earthbend the attack or Mako himself instead of taking the attack herself.

"Fuc.

The fire played before her eyes along the sound of lightbending. Before she could raise herself up the ground moved and she was launched with a powerful move toward the sky, as if catapulted, she tried to grab with her earthbending to the ground but felt a sharp pain from her left toe to her neck. The wind took over and carried her away as the world and Mako scream faded away.

* * *

Aang looked behind him. Sokka and Katara were asleep. It was natural, as they had spend a night awake and fighting to win Omashu and free his friend Bumi, without accomplishing neither.

"A teacher who waits and listen...couldn't he been clearer?" Aang whispered to himself and observed Katara soft face, she had faith on him, everyone did, but he lacked earthbending skills and firebending was dangerous and harmful to everyone.

He took a deep breath and got back at looking at the way ahead, the chilling air barely bothering him.

The Avatar felt it first before seeing it. A person flying on the sky, except she wasn't flying but falling.

Aang launched himself and catched the girl, a little bit smaller than him and took her back to Appa.

"What?!" Sokka was the first to woke up when Aang landed, his eyes open in horror "What's that?!"

"A girl?" Aang offered "She was failing..on the sky"

"The sky?" Sokka looked up and then down, Katara blinked a little and gave Aang a sleepy glare.

An hour later the girl was still unconscious, Katara had discovered a serie of cuts, the bigger one going for her feet to her neck, passing for the middle of her back. It wasn't serious but looking at the injury almost made the healer cry and Aang felt a little guilty.

They had found a earth village that was composed of farmers, one kind family offered them shelter without asking questions, and a woman had helped Katara in her medical aid.

The Avatar glanced at the girl, sharp factions and a beauty mark under her left eye. He had seen her before, alongside her brother in a dream.

A deep cold settled on his stomach, he knew there was a boy. He got up and called Sokka to go and search for the other kid. The waterbender told them to be careful and got back at healing the girl, Aang wanted to grab her hands and promise Katara all would be fine but since the cave everything had been estranger.

Both boys got on Appa and began souring on the twilight sky.

"Have any idea?" Sokka asked, his eyes looking mildly bored at the moon.

"No" Aang whispered and headed to the west. 

* * *

Alco grabbed the firebender face with more force than needed. He had been a dangerous match even when his sister had disappeared. How did he make light or where did the girl vanish had bothered him for a while.

"How old are you, fire rat?" he spatted at the child face.

"Twenty-two" the kid snarled with a smug grin and Alco hold got stronger.

They were on a small inn, in a colony of the Fire Nation that was seldom guarded by soldiers. Still the roads at night were dangerous and he couldn't lose the cargo if he wanted to live.

"He looks bad!" his henchman Rot said for the bed "Isn't he needed alive for the ritual? Was safe that thing you gave him?"

"Would you rather have him bending" the captain throw the kid against the wall "And he is Fire Nation trash! Who cares!"

Alco winced when he step up, the boy had launched him light and even if the older man had put a shield of earth he had being injured. Luckily the kid had screamed after shooting it and fainted on the ground. The thing was dangerous to do if the kid bleeding was a give away but even then it was necessary to use the chidrug to stop him to bend when he was awake. The kid didn't care about dying and whoever he took with him. Lunatic fire people.

Lord Piet would at least be pleased, the child was still fit to perform the ritual that would save the Earth Kingdom.

"Who are you?" the rat asked without fear and even Rot seemed ready to attack the child "What do you want! Where you the kidnappers of the children? You are sick!"

The Fire Nation were the ones that destroyed and killed, the monsters who killed parents and poisoned the world. How did a brat with rotten blood dared to insult him.

Alco grabbed the boy shirt and raised him until he was at eye level.

"You are so chatty! If your stupids parents didn't teach you how to behave I will now!" Alco throwed the kid to the bed and began unknotting his belt "If you scream I will spank harder so you better shut up your mouth!"

The Fire Nation kid eyes widened and he retreated to the other end of the bed, he was shivering and looked for the first time scared. That didn't stop Alco of raising the belt up. 

* * *

Mako winced as he woke up, it was still night and his body ached because the bending. He glanced at one of the men, one who was awake and looked at Mako with scorn, the one that had hitted him was sleeping on the bed snoring loudly.

He hated being a weak kid. He did with all his heart. It was a nightmare worse that the one he had left behind in the destroyed Republic City. He remembered with resentment how he had woken up a week ago as a child. And then bending hurt and a few hours later he had been captured by a cult that made him drink something that tasted as metal.

The firebender had heard of crazy groups that killed kids on rituals but always dismissed them as cautious tales to not go with creepy adults back on the streets. He remembered of that time there was a serial killer and even the underworld people were freaking about it.

He smiled to himself, feeling a fire burning on his stomach. He hated his childhood and there was where his mind always carried him. Even a few hours before, the beating of the man was familiar to one he endured by a drunk man at twelve. He wanted to forget both.

Mako tested his hand and with a fast move launched a fire blast to the man head, feeling the familiar pain on his fist...and in his chest and arm. He didn't even bother to check if there was blood, choosing to run away instead.

He opened the door and went outside, the cold air in his face stealing all his heath and every step was even slower that the one before.

He had not run too far away when the ground swallowed his feet. He stared at the sky, the white full moon glowing at him. He wasn't seeking anything or anyone but still felt relieved.

At least Kuvira was safe, she had to be. The girl was like the Great Uniter in talent and wits, she was pretty much like the dictator if Mako tough about it, but she was nicer and good and the last thing he had done was scream at her because his life sucked. Who cared about any of the ones that left anyway? He didn't.

He felt a pain on his heart, and the world began to spin, but it was barely noticeable with his blurry vision, his head ached and the simply notion of moving become tiring. He could hear the man laugh before being yanked by his hair.

A wind of air flowed out of nowhere and Mako falled to the ground looking at the blue night sky.

The moon was bigger and there were rabbits dancing with a white haired girl, and Avatar Aang was there too and councilman Sokka was hitting the kidnapper before a loud noise interrupted the music (where had it come from?).

He felt the wind on his face one last time before the world faded to a reddish-black, the last he saw was the moon girl smiling kindly. 

* * *

"if we stay any longer we would be noticed, Aang. The Fire Nation will attack this place" Sokka said as he closed the door.

Both siblings were burning and had injuries that looked as done by paper in their bodies, some of them were even still oozing blood.

"What about the kidnappers? We had to ran before dealing with them? We can let those childs alone!" Aang said without tearing his eyes of the sunrise "And Katara is a healer!"

"We would leave them money. Our money! They would be fine! We have to defeat the Fire Nation and we have to find you an earth master! We must go!"

Katara put a hand on Aang shoulder, her pretty eyes on Aang's "They would be safer here than with us, the boy is too young and sick for our travels. It's for the best Aang"

The Avatar sighed. He didn't understand why leaving them was better, but still knew taking the children be worse with them. At least he was sure they would meet again.


	6. A revelation

**Last time Mako and Kuvira got sick and had to be rescued by the Avatar.**

* * *

A revelation

"I' _m glad that I was helpful for our cause, Great Uniter...for the peace of our homeland" she died with a smile on her face, her hand grip fading away as the echo of her words. She had died so Kuvira could succed in bringing peace to the Earth Kingdom._

 _Baatar caressed Kuvira check and took her to the camp, where the Great Uniter could cry freely for those who had gone._

 _Far away she could see the ravaged city, burned to the ground by orders of a warlord who had ties with Republic City. She clenched her teeth._

 _Kuvira would do it: save her country, for everyone of them._

 _"Why?" the voice of her soldier asked from behind "I died for you! For our country! Why did you surrended? Why did you give up"_

 _Kuvira found herself on a field of corpses, the smell of iron strong in the air. A yellow beam raising from a distant point._

 _"It's your fault" a child corpse raised among every other, his green clothes dirty with ashes and his brown skin marred "You failed us! You gave up!"_

 _"No! I didn't"_

 _The Avatar looked at her from above a pile of bodies, her blue eyes tainted red, along her were Bolin, Varrick, the Sato woman, Suyin and...Baatar. He walked to Kuvira and everyone of his allies smiled smughly._

 _"You killed me for nothing!"_

 _"The Avatar said..." Kuvira began but she didn't really knew how to excuse her crimes._

 _"The Avatar is in the Spirit World, she leaved everyone" someone said from behind the metal bender "As you did!"_

 _Kuvira turned around and could see Mako at the hands of his kidnappers, he looked disgusted, but he was dead._

 _Evrrything felt cold and she just wanted to wake up_!

"Are you fine?" a young woman asked as her hands pushed Kuvira down.

The metalbender asseted the situation. She was on a bed, in a room made of wood. It was midday and the weather outside was nice. She could see insects playing on the window.

"Mako?" she asked with rusty voice.

"Your brother? He is there" the woman signaled with her face to the left, there was a bed with someone small sleeping "He has fever, like you...But the water tribe girl gave us medicine. All will be alright"

"The Avatar?" Kuvira concience was fadding but she needed to ask.

"I'm not sure" the woman smiled kindly "Rest. Don't worry"

* * *

One day and a half was what it took to Kuvira to get back on her feet. The woman had to buy more herbs for Mako and leaved a eleven years old kid called Li in charge of the house, him and a mysterious teen who had arrived a few hours prior but who Kuvira had not meet yet.

She could barelly stand up, because of that she had choose to look at Mako raged breath instead of meeting the teen to decide if he was a danger.

The metalbender forced herself to eat the rice the woman had left, it tasted bad but she was still gratefull. She didn't knew where they were, only it wasn't Omashu, they should stop going there anyway, at least alone.

"Teach me how to use them!" Li voice came from outside the window and Kuvira felt curiosity spark. She raised herself up and looked to outside.

A thin teen was wielding two swords at the same time, demostrating the child how to figth. Peasants customs were not Kuvira favorite coup of tea. Bending was something and weapons another, but who was she to judge a boy using dangerous swords.

Kuvira eyes widended when she realized something. Mako himself knew a deadly, dangerous move, one that could potentially kill him if used wrong. Even when used rigth it was knew to be taxing to chi reserves and a cause of premature deaths and she hadn't tough in forbidding him to use it. She felt the guilty building in her stomach.

Maybe his fever was due he using lightbending. The attack that she had let him use.

She went to his side and touched the boy forehead with the back of her hand, the skin was burning. The metalbender took Mako hand and leaned closed to him, she wanted to apologize and promise him everything would be alright, but she had heard of kids diying due fevers. He was hot and the only thing Kuvira knew was that the woman has taking a lot of time. And he was dying and Kuvira didn't knew how to stop it.

He was young, a child, she had failed him, as she did to her people.

She didn't knew how long she lied at Mako side, watching as he went worse and remembering herself to be patient, until a high voice disturbed her and almost made her skin crawl out.

"Is your brother fine?" Li asked outside the door frame, the teen beside the child looked troubled.

"We aren't related" Kuvira said fastly with what she had of breath

"Sure?" the white skined teen asked from behind Lee. His lips were dry and his short hair was dirty but what catched Kuvira eyes was his scar on the rigth side of his face, resembling the one of Fire Lord Zuko.

The teeneger recoiled from Kuvira sight and his lips turned down.

"My dad says isn't nice to stare!" the child chirped happily at Kuvira as he walked to Mako side.

"When would they return? He needs aid!" the metalbender said as she stod up, feeling tired for keeping her position for too long and trying to keep her eyes on the child and not the older boy.

"Are you the Avatar friends?"

Kuvira felt her chest and face burn when she remembered the Avatar, the one who never cared for the Earth Kingdom or raise a finger to help anyone outside her friends.

"No!" she spatted without thinking it "Only a fool would trust the Avatar"

The boy looked at Kuvira as she was crazy and then faced his friend as if searching help. The teen seemed frezeed by the girl outburst and on the room settled a thin mantle of ice.

The woman and the father returned before anyone could figure out what happened.

The dinner was cold and Kuvira needed all her will to not glance at the extranger with the scar, but the resemblance to the one of Lord Zuko was enormous and it was kind of amazing that no one pointed it out. Had Mako be more childish she would desire he was there; nothing as a 8 years old making the awkward asks.

"Where are you and your brother from?" Li asked withi his mouth full of rice.

"From Rock and Roll" Kuvira lied with practiced easiness, the teen unerved her enough as to be seecretive.

"I have a brother too, he is figthing in the war. But he will return" the boy explained "Do you have family in the army?"

Images of blood splashed on Kuvira mind and she felt a deep cold in her body that wasn't due her fever.

"Li, stop disturbing our guest" the grandpa scolded and the mysterious teen almost bleached. It looked as everyone had skeletons in the closet, but she couldn't help a nagging feeling form on her neck that she was forgetting something.

* * *

After eating the woman asked Kuvira help to bath Mako in cold water to drive out the fever. He had more or less woke up, but was deliring a little.

"Li told me you don't like the Avatar" the lady began as she dried off Mako hair, he stirred a little before leaning against the woman muttering something about a scarf "Why don't you like him?"

"Him?"

"Yes, Avatar Aang" the woman reafirmed and Kuvira felt confussed.

She had no possitive nor negative toughs of the past Avatar, the one who had stoped the Fire Nation and let the monsters with Earth Kingdom Land, but taking in account Korra things seemed to change.

"I don't have ill feelings for him" she half lied to the Avatar worshiper who was helping Mako.

"He is our only hope, you know?"

Kuvira looked at the woman eyes trying to figure out the scam.

She kept wiselly silent until Mako was tucked inside the bed.

At the nigth, when she stared at the roof, she realized what was wrong all along. The true that had been obvius if her mind had been less rational.

The woman talked about the war as if it had been happening from long ago, before she was even born, or the Cave of Two Lovers looking as in an old book, even the city that they had been two days ago resembled the one where Baatar claimed he had millenary roots in an expedition one year ago.

The woman closed her eyes and without wanting the memory of the teeneger with the scar came to view. And taking in account the armors that were 70 years old being used by Fire Nation soldiers Kuvira had an idea of who was he and where was she.

The metalbender bitted her inner lip and hold her desire to scream.

She couldn't sleep now thinking about the demential situation. Was she dead? In the past? Was everything just a dream?

If they were indeed on the past then everything was worse. They were facing an invation at the hands of a country that made genocide. Did it matter? If everything was false why bother?

"Mom.."Mako whispered in his dreams and Kuvira was pulled outside her toughs "Sorry..mom..no..."

The metalbender went to Mako bed and touched his hot forehead with the back of her hand, his hand raised to her wrist and holded it with sweaty fingers "...don't go..."

"I'm here" Kuvira almost recoiled, but instead grabbed the boy hand and made up her mind. It was real.

They were on the past in the middle of the battle against the Fire Nation, her people were diying (as Lee brother) and no one was safe, not her and much less young kids as the one of her dreams, as Mako.

She looked outside, everything seemed bleak, but somehow she would figure things out.

* * *

"Are you prince Zuko?" Kuvira asked the teen when he was packing, he almost slipped and the metalbender rolled her eyes at the skills of the friend of the Avatar "Where is the Avatar?"

"Who are you" he said as he raised his sword against Kuvira "Did Azula sent you?"

"So you don't" the metalbender felt sick about hoping on a firebender leading her to the answers. This whole been at the past must had something to do with the Avatar. The golden eyes of the Fire Lord reminded her of the portal, of her failure "Go away! You aren't welcomed on this land!" she sentenced with icy voice and headed back to the house, hands in fists.

Mako was sat on a shair, eating the breakfast with glee, his eyes were sleepy and was shivering a little.

She ran to him and hugged him, pulling hm against her chest, feeling his warm and the way his breathing ragged. But he was awake finally.

"I'm glad you are fine" she whispered as he hugged her back.

* * *

.

.

Alco felt the dry air on his mouth and looked again at Rot, his subordinate. The man was watching from the hill to the village where an air bison had been spotted and two kids were said to be leaved a few days ago.

"Someone is coming! Just a man and no signal of the kids!" Rot dropped to the ground at Alco side and both waited for the guy to pass them. It was safer that way.

Alco saw an odd teen in an ostrich-horse, his face had an ugly scar and somewhere on his mind he knew he was someone important, but even then didn't feel as attacking him to seek answers. He couldn't set the kids off.

Maybe sent Rot to investigate, or capture him. The golden eyes were always unnerving, and he was tired of Fire Nation rats on his land. The Avatar interference showed how the only trustworthy to protect the Kingdom was Lord Piet. He glared one last time to the guy and scolded, he needed to keep himself in check, he couldn't afford to lose the boy again.

His time was already out and he was living a lend time, he had called reinforcements and just had to wait two days. He would succed, for the Earth Kingdom.

* * *

 **A true was discovered finally.**

 **This one was wrote thanks to everyone reviews. Thanks anon 1, anon 2 and Fire Anon, as always corrections, sugerences, opinions and critics are welcomed.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	7. Different time

**Last time Kuvira discovered something her rational mind has problems to understand..and guilty feelings again, that's guilt for you...a deep and nagging feeling...I hope she gets better.**

* * *

Different time

Kuvira woke up with a small headche and dry mouth. She hadn't suffered nigthmares, not as the ones before anyway.

"Good morning, Kuvira!" Mako exclaimed for the bed, his lips were up and looked as he was holding his laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing...ha...ah well...It's just a dream" the firebeneder laughed a little and at Kuvira gaze decided to elavorate "I was under the sea, on the court of a big yellow cat with two hats, ha! One above the other! And then the White Moon Princess offered me tea, but it went up..with the flow! Ah but that isn't the most funny thing, the cat had lost his hats and called out like a dozen of fishes and then glared at them and said 'something here is fishy! Where is miau hat?'..." Mako began laughing as if was incredibly funny, and somehow Kuvira joined him.

Children dreams really lacked rationallity and were wild. She had too, when she was young in more than body, it was a nice break for the awful week.

The calm was disturbed by a loud scream and both ran to the entrance. A big man with a mustache and earth kingdom army clothes stood on the door alongside three men a little bit slimer. One of them was holding Li shirt, the kind woman was trembling a few meters away.

"What are you doing?" Mako asked bluntly and Kuvira forced herself to stay calm even if she found her charge lack of tact annoying.

"Another brave one? If you feel so adult then maybe you should join the Earth Kingdom army too!" the captain barked. The metalbender knew he was joking but the idea of a child on the battlefield was attrocius when the raw true was cruel. She would die before letting Mako endure the war.

"You too little girl? Want to joint the army too?" Kuvira put her arm in front of Mako, he was tense and frowing, she was too and so took a deep breath to relax. The one who gets mad lost, and she had just recovered of fever to try to temp luck.

Before she could process it a burst of fire passed near her head and landed on the soldier chest, making him fall on the ground. Mako had clenched teeth and his fist was up. He blinked twice and looked perflexed at what he had done. The man that had Li released the boy and went head on against Kuvira and Mako with a sword.

She could feel the cheap metal of the handle and with a movement of her wrist she bended the weapon out of the man hand. The guy yelped when he saw that Kuvira was bending his weapon and dashed off followed by the other soldier. The captain looked at them wearily and followed his men a seconds later. Kuvira cleaned the drops of blood on her shirt fastly and without being noticed.

"Whoau! You can bend metal!and he...he...he firebended...he is FIRE NATION!" Li words morphed from awe to disgust and Kuvira felt Mako tensing up "It's your fault my dad and mom are dead! And that my brother is at the war! Go away!"

The woman went to his brother side and hugged him, her eyes were teary but she too was looking at Mako as if he were a monster.

"He is just a child! He has no commited the sin of her people" Kuvira sentenced as she got in middle of Mako and the earth nation family.

"Go away, please" the woman whispered, Kuvira was going to keep pushing for her cause but Mako took her shoulder and negated with his head. He looked tired, not ready to journey again, it wasn't safe to move so she dreaded what he would say, because she would agree.

"Let's go, please"

* * *

They were just walking without destiny. At least they had enough supplies for a few days.

It wasn't even migday but Kuvira felt extremly tired.

"Do you hate firebenders?" Mako asked her keeping his eyes on the road and the metalbender shugred, she didn't harvored ill feelings for firebenders just a little of mistrust. The Fire Nation had done a lot of bad to her country and then stolen its land. Or they would if Kuvira didn't act to stop them. The kid looked at the sky, his fist clenched and then let out a sigh "I see"

She almost could hear the silent apology, and felt tored apart with the desire of embracing the child and tell him that she was indefferent to firebenders, that she had worked alongside them, but was unable to, her mind had gone in distress, the ghost of Baatar keep following her, when Bolin mixed heritage was reason of his betrayal alongside the southern Varrick. She wanted to bury those ill feelings with all her forces, but was unable.

Because their betrayal everything went wrong.

She had been near of succes, the Avatar wasn't really a match, the metalbender had even defeated her once but then the Colossuss exploted. Kuvira had been so near of building a safe world for everyone on her lands. If the Avatar had not intruded, if Bolin and Varrick hadn't...Kuvira scolded herself, the fault had been only hers.

Heading in only two weeks into war against Republic City had been a mistake.

But if she didn't attack Republic City after they sent Bolin to rescue Suyin, then the Empire wouldn't ever been respected. She had been clear with her backlash against those who attacked her country. And now everything she had done, everyone hopes..all was for nothing in the forsaken past.

What had prompted her to believe she could play with spirits? certainlly the whole thing of being on the past was due Kuvira deeds and a punishment of the spirits.

The metalbender felt a heavy hotness pushing against her ribcabe and could feel pressure on her head, without noticing she screamed and felt on the ground, Mako dashed to her side and put his small hand on her back.

"What's wrong?" he asked alarmed.

"Everything!" she said as her forehead touched the ground "Everything..was for nothing..if just the Colosuss.." she hadn't finished the sentence when she was already sobbing, all her toughs buzzing caotically on her head.

"Don't worry" Mako soothed "...I know you liked the Great Uniter...but she was evil. She needed to be stopped because she went too far...She hurt a lot of my friends" Kuvira couldn't believe Mako words, they stabbed her on the way not even swords were cappable. She wanted to lash at him or run away. She had almost forgotten he was from Republic City, the Great Uniter probably even destroyed his orphanage or hideout..she had only wanted to build a better world.

The metalbender hugged herself without raising her face of the ground. How low had she fallen?

"Is everything alrigth?" the voice of a man asked nearly, even with damp eyes Kuvira could see that he was a white beard-bald old man, she believed his face was familiar but she was overwhelmed by dizziness "Let's have some tea" he said with a smile.

* * *

"Your sister has a little fever" the man explained to Mako, and had Kuvira not feel so tired she would have laughed, instead she rested above a mant on the hard ground "Why are two young kids travelling alone?"

"Can you cure her?" Mako was standing behind the old man with apprehension, almost waiting for a sign that everything was an oax.

"In this case, rest is the best medicine, youngling" he gave the kid a softly smile and covered Kuvira with a mantle that smelled as old people "Where were you going?"

"Why are you helping us?" the kid said with a scold on his face, he was growing suspicius and Kuvira feared he would act reckless as a few hours prior.

"Because you needed help" the man smiled and gave Mako a cup of tea, but there was some kind of pity on his voice, Kuvira knew that he was someone with a heavy guilt "That's all" after that no one spoke any other word.

A few hours later the metalbender was better and Mako looked more pale, but his distrust for the grandpa had grow stronger, he even had his arms crossed. She wondered how many people had abused of him to have him acting so wary at kindness of strangers. It was a wise mindset, but it was sad for a child to have.

They were all sitted around a small fire, and it was just about the 16:00 hours, so the sun was still up on the sky warming everything.

"Where are you and your brother heading, young lady?" Kuvira looked at the old man again, and finally recognized his face. Iroh, the Dragon of the West, if she could remember well then he should be travelling alongside his nephew Lord Zuko, the teen that was alone just a day algo.

She wondered if it had been like that on her time or if her pressence was the cause, but she was not profficent on biographies of Fire Nation people.

"Nowhere" she answered "And you mister?"

"I'm searching for my nephew, so where he is" Iroh laughed and Mako went to Kuvira side, touching her back, he was definitely scared of the older firebender, she understood and raised up and thanked the man, wished him a good journey and headed to the east, to Ba Sing Se.

It had been a decition born after metting the old man, she was reminded of the safest city during the 100 years old war, she needed to keep Mako safe after all.

They walked about two hours, until the child got tired and had to rest on a rock.

"That cloud look as a serpant-tiger!" Mako laughed as he pointed at the twiligth sky that was flowed with all sort of clouds, Kuvira couldn't see it, he seemed as a carefree child, as someone undisturbed, but he was breaking as Kuvira, even if his reasons were nothing like hers.

"Can I ask what happened to your parents?" she felt it was neccesary to adress his past to help him to not break.

Mako blanched a little and his hand tried to grip something on his shirt, or maybe he was just puting a fist on his chest. "They died...it was long ago. It doesn't matter" he began and he looked at the ground and closed his eyes, as if wanting to erase a memory, he glanzed at Kuvira with a little of remorse, but keep talking "After it...we were alone, on the streets..."

"I'm sorry"

"Don't. It was long ago" he sighed and shaked his head "Where are we going anyway? This isn't the road to Omashu and in the contrary way to Republic City!" he began to walk at fast speed, and Kuvira followed suit. He was running away, his past was a sore point and he hated it. Kuvira could relate a little and decided to wait until the nigth, he would be more open about everything when he felt sleepy, it was human nature.

Settled with that plan she keep her eyes on the road full of the afternoon shadows

A few minutes later they crossed a baner that proclaimed proudly how the Fire Nation had overtaken Omashu "The New Ozai", Kuvira felt a deep sickness at the characters and keep walking faster, Mako took a few moments more on every word, but for the metalbender this was unbereable.

It didn't matter. She would protect her kingdom be in the past or the future.

A blast of fire landed at the rigth side of her feet and she turned around fastly with one hand raised in front of her chest, the other ready to strike. Two meters away from her Mako standed, teeth clenched, with checks burning, his two fists up. His golden eyes were shadowed by his eyebrows and all his frame was shaking.

"You are the Great Uniter!" he screamed with fury "Aren't you?!"

"How did you.."

Before Kuvira could finish her sentence Mako fired again without warning, she didn't move. Unable to understand what was happening even if the firebender did.

The blast went above her head and even then she could feel it's torching warm. If the boy had aimed for her face she would have ended up with an ugly scar the size of an adult hand.

She stared at Mako, the smart kid who knew how to lightbend, that was from the future as her and talked about his childhood as a distant memory. Maybe if she hadn't been feverish and dumbed by guilt she would have saw all the clues on the morning.

The metalbender didn't want to believe it even as she prepared herself to counterattack. Just sending a wave to earth to his feet to make him fall. She just had to wait for an oppening

"You tried to kill us! You almost killed my brother! You are a Monster!" he snarled and punched without will, his fire landing on the left side of the road "Why don't you attack! Do it! You did before! On Republic City! Remeber? You aimed a lasser beam against us!"

The earthbender made Mako slip with a fast move of her wrist and even if it reopened the scars she raised both hands to encast the firebender on the earth. He resembled Korra not less than a month ago, unable to defeat Kuvira and failing misserably. Even then her mind could not provide her info about Mako. He was talented enough to be on the task force of the Avatar. He had talked about her as a friend, the ones at fault of her defeat.

"Were you on the team that took out the Colossus?" Kuvira asked with eery voice.

"I took down the thing! Stupid!" he answered with cookines even on his defenseless possition, the metalbender raised a big chunk of earth and launched it forward, to him.

Mako closed his eyes until the chunk hit the ground with a loud sound, Kuvira wanted to hurt him, to make the Avatar friend pay, but she was simply unable when he had a high pitted voice and a lose tooth.

"You are just a murdered!" he exclaimed and with a powerfull blast exploted his prison "You tried to kill Bolin, my brother! And everyone!...and" he put both hands on his head and closed his eyes thigly "Just leave!"

The metalbender stared at him, she was the one who had been backstabbed by him and he had the gal to felt hurt. He was so selfish, Kuvira had risked her neck and stuck at his side even when it was hard and he was playing to feel offended? The blood began to flow hot on Kuvira.

"That's why everyone leaves: you are annoying" she said with the full intent of hurting him " You are useless and unworthy of anyone kindness, you know that, don't you? That's why you hate to live and everytime play the sacrifical marthir in hopes of dying...Know this. No ONE cares about you!"

"Just leave!" he said again with trembling lips, standing firm, his long shadow touching Kuvira feet.

She turned around and began walking, feeling mad and hurt. She didn't do it because he asked but because Kuvira herself feel sick about everything. All they had do together, as two childs that could pass for siblings. The metalbender gave a last glanze behind her.

Mako was no longer standing, he was sat on the ground and his left hand was clutched on the left side of his chest. She felt mad enough to keep walking even as his sobs became screams.

She headed into the nigth, leaving Mako behind.

* * *

 **Another true revelead...and all blows up! Friendships and hearts were broken..**

 **Would Mako survive alone? Would Kuvira?**


	8. Meet new people

Meet new people

Kuvira stared at the sky, the moon was a quarter away of becoming New Moon, it was beutiful as the night Bataar had took her off the train and asked what she had wanted since their first year of dating. She keep walking even if her vision got blurry. To think a month ago she had been embracing Baatar, who she killed.

Had he suffered? She should have asked Mako...her enemy even when he had hugged her and smiled with a warm smile, but all those moments were just an illusion.

Her mind carried her to four days ago, at the last time she had seen the Avatar friend. She had been so blinded by his childish charm to ever think he was her enemy, he had been kind, as Korra. False people were bredeed on Republic City and the South Tribe, like Bolin and Varrick. Traitors all.

The metalbender felt hotness on her chest but didn't even slip a little. She was nearer to Ba Sing Se, once there she would think clearly without caring about firebenders or dead fiances, bug it was a futile act.

She kicked a rock and sent it fliying to a distant place, one far away from her sight but the feelings stayed to make her ill.

Kivira stared at the stars, they looked the same as in her time but the weather felt colder and even if she tried to sleep the shiling air and memories of different times kept her awake.

The morning was better, she found a gang of criminals cornering a farmer and saved him without problem, the Earth Kingdom of the past was pretty symilar to the one she knew in that of having bandits and civilians. And she liked that.

* * *

Ordon was a peaceful village of farmers, they knew how to kill serpent-moles with their sickles in one move but lacked the skills necessary to fight against bandits, that's why when Kuvira crushed five burglars she was invited to their Spring party and made special guest (the same as days before, when Mako was at her side)

The Great Uniter knew she should be enjoying the soft drink and warm food, she deserved it after her victory against four grow up men, one of them had a broken nose the last time Kuvira had seen him, everything was working in her favour except for her bending and her nightmares.

She glanced at her left side, there was enough space for a child to sit and try and fail to eat with manners.

The metalbender began touching her index finger tip with her thumb, feeling the cut that had deepened since her battle against Mako less than five days ago, It wasn't the only scar, there was one fading on her right arm that still burned when she touched it.

They were reminders of a betrayal and that she shouldn't feel guilty about leaving Mako in a lonely and dangerous road..

The metalbender grimaced as her nail digged on the scar.

For much he looked and sounded as a kid, the firebender had been an adult and friend of the Avatar so feeling guilty or bad about it had no sense.

"Are you fine miss?" the woman at her side asked with a nasal voice, her eyes full of understanding "There is no guy that's worth to lose the appetite"

Kuvira choked a laugh and forced herself to drink the pink wine, she needed something stronger but lacked the will to ask it.

She emptied the glass in one swig, she hated her new attitude and knew that somehow she would better herself-up again, alcohol was a bad option but the only one she had.

A dry wind blowed from behind her and threw people's hats to the ground, the metalbender turned her head to the place it had come, her movement was lazy and done more out of custom that curiosity, so she was taken back by what she saw.

Her green eyes went wide at what was coming: fourteen men in rhinos-lizards that were just up a hill, she recognized the one she had beaten up just a few hours ago.

The farmers took their weapons and the women ushered the kids to the safety of their houses before the criminals arrived, some women came out with kitchen knives ready to defend themselves.

At the party Kuvira had felt numb, but now her hot blood asked her to move, to fight and submit the enemy to her power, even if it mean to open another injury with her own treacherous bending. It would be worth.

The bandits separated, but Kuvira already knew who she was going to take down, the most confident one, the leader.

She ran as fast as she could with her smaller legs, the familiar tingle that preceded a battle buzzing strongly in all her muscles.

The leader was about to go inside a wooden house when Kuvira found him, the man heard Kuvira footsteps and turned around . He was big, twice the height of Kuvira, his eyebrows were light brown and had an unkempt mustache over a scarred lip.

His brown eyes stared at Kuvira small body and smiled evilly. She knew his type, the ones that found pleasure in showing their force against people that were defenseless and enjoyed beating up anyone who they could abuse, they liked to fight, but so did Kuvira.

She launched fastly a rock against his eyes. The man tried to evade. He was not fast enough and the earth ended up hitting his forehead, opening a wound that bleed viciously.

The Great uniter smiled, sometimes precision and fastness were the best weapon, and she had always had a talent with both skills, the feeling of salt over an injury on her knuckles was something that followed her attack, but she didn't lose a second of time before launching balloon sized earth attacks with a fast succession of punches, this kind of attack wouldn't be as effective as her first hit but the sheer number was enough to overwhelm the criminal, hitting his body merciless.

One of his henchman tried to attack Kuvira from behind but she stopped her combo to duck and throw an earthbending kick, hitting the man on the thorax, next resumed her attack on the leader who was on his knees and breathing raggedly.

The afternoon light illuminated the left side of her face and almost blinded her, but the man figure was very clear in front of her.

In other times she would have offered him to serve her, to use his power and his information to help to build a safer place, because she had discovered that nothing was as dangerous as a power void...but as she stared at the ugly marred face of the man she saw everything that was wrong and rotted on the world and that she needed to erase forever.

She raised one hand and the earth chunk almost cracked at her left side. She launched it with force, she didn't even blink when the rock hit against the skull.

The metalbender could hear screams from other side of the village and knew it was not over yet.

.

.

The sun setted with all the criminals defeated, every innocent safe and Kuvira with blood on her clothes and skin, her dark hair blowing wildly along the hollow wind as she looked at the dark pitch night.

There was no one that dared to approach her.

* * *

.

.

.

Aang shivered, the winter was over but the cold wind was still roaming the north hemisphere, he looked at the half moon and tried to forget the experiences on the swamp, Sokka and Katara tales were of visions of the past and his one of the future.

Aang closed his eyes tightly, He hadn't saw anyone he knew and that's what saddened him the most, he would had wanted to see a familiar face, one before being gone for one hundred years.

He hugged himself thinking on the past, he was not comfortable at the memories about all the people that were gone, that he had failed to save..that he couldn't love any longer.

Monk Gyatso who was a mentor that healed his scars singing a childish song that was hilarious for Aang even when he stopped being a toddler. The Avatar wished to had seen his face on the swamp, maybe even one of the kids at the temple who played silly games with Aang and practiced every morning alongside him, even the stern faces of the others masters would had been welcomed.

The memories of everyone of them had become blurry in less than half year, for example he couldn't remember if Aluka, a boy two years older and that played the pan flaute, had a mole on his right or left shoulder. That was something important that all his classmates had pointed out, Aang was sure they had laughed about it along Aluka.

"Are you fine?" Katara voice asked softly behind him, then her dark hand touched his shoulder, leading him to a hug.

Katara smelt like a flower camp full of life and her presence always made him feel safe or more accurately hopeful. He embraced her, trying to hold onto something that was more powerful and bigger than the Avatar.

They separated slowly and looked at the eyes of the other, trying to discern the color even if there was only a half-moon as ligth. Aang could see her warm smile and wanted to smile back, to make her feel the same way he did when she was around him.

Before he could try to force a smile a loud sound echoed nearly, it was followed by the glow of fire.

With just a nod they went to check the place, Sokka walking behind them with stealthy steps that couldn't compare to the soft ones of Aang.

The battle was near a road, four men dressed with purple robes were fighting against a single firebender.

Katara tensed when she recognized the face of Prince Zuko, he might had a different hair style and was dressed in green and brown colors, but the scar was enough to know who he was even at the distance, Aang knew they had tried to kill each other not long ago and the wounds were still open, so the internal struggle of going to aid him or simply shrug the unfairness of one against four was a battle inside the waterbender head.

Finally she settled her mind and nodded.

Aang ducked at Katara side, both were behind a bush, taking their breath before dashing in combat, the fire casting shadows on the trees. Sokka was hiding in another place, somewhere when no one would watch him.

The airbender caught a glimpse of one of the attackers. The man that had kidnapped the child a week ago.

"He is the one that tried to hit the boy" he whispered to himself, remembering how the bigger man had attempted to hurt the kidnapped child before Aang arrived.

Katara understood the whisper, and without a word and with a rage filled attack hit one of the attackers, sending him flying to a tree.

Zuko eyes widened when he noticed his saviours but keep defending himself with a little of difficulty.

At the end each one of the youngest took off one of the attackers.

Sokka had his boomerang out and ready to strike the fire prince but Katara was focused on the man that had kidnapped the child a week ago, her blue eyes shining with rage.

"You attacked a little boy! Why!" she asked with icy voice, the man eyes were staring at Aang and then to Zuko, but Katara slashed water on his hair "Answer!"

"Go to hell water rat!"

Sokka was the first one to react to the man words and hit him with the back of his boomerang, Zuko gave Aang a questioning look but the Avatar was more confussed by all.

Another of the attackers squealed and in cue Zuko took charge.

"Where is the kid!" Zuko demmanded, he had only katara wording to go and had assumed his attackers were still holding the kid somewhere. Before anyone could correct the prince the firebender made two hot daggers in each one of his hands "Where!?"

"I don't know!" the man cried and Aang felt his blood cold, Zuko got his fire nearer"I swear! No one knows! We were already following you when he was recaptured! We don't know! Don't hurt me!"

Katara shoulders sagged and the Avatar felt his pulse get lower.

He should have waited to the siblings getting better until he could take them along him instead of leaving. He wondered if he had already failed again.

* * *

 **Will continue..**

 **...**

 **Maybe...**

 **.**


	9. We are to blame

**Is anyone still reading the fic? Anyway, here it is...**

* * *

We are to blame

The firbender rat was again on Alco hands, captured once his sister had renounced to him. The boy had gave up after throwing two punches.

Alco went to check him one more time, seven whole days without incident seemed to good to be capturing the rat, from the same moment he had gripped the boy collarshirt, Alco had feared he would atempt another escape or maybe the rat sister or the Avatar could come to his rescue.

He didn't made the mistake of resting until he had carried the boy over Lord Piet fortress, being careful of not leaving any trace. This wasn't the same place than before, so not even the rat sister would find them. Not her nor the parents of the children of the villages.

The firebender was on a different cell that the rest of the sacrifices, one small and without windows. A dark place where he would be unable to bend if the anti-bend drug didn't work or wore off. It was not good idea to give the drug to a sick child but the rat only needed to survive the next week and then die on the promising day.

The kid opened his eyes lazily but he didn't move from his spot on the bed, his feet barely touching the ground.

"So this is the runaway" an old voice said behind of Alco, almost making the captain to jump outside his skin, Lord Piet walked inside the cell and smiled at the boy, then grabbed the white face with force, and keep holding for a long time, as if he were contemplating what to do. Finally Lord Piet gave a strong slap and grabbed the boy hair with fury "You caused a lot of problems...you almost ruined it all! Stupid dammed Fire rat! Dammed rat! You!

The boy stared with empty eyes at some distant point, didn't even scream after the abuse. Lord Piet laughed humorless and pushed the boy against the bed, disgust on his eldery factions.

"Don't worry...soon you will atone for your sins" he said as he leaved the room. Alco himself felt mad at the gal of the firebender, but knew that there was so much the boy could handle.

Alco closed the door and leaved the boy in complete darkness.

* * *

.

.

.

Mako hated being a kid, he did.

Everyone was bigger and meaner. Always wanting to use Mako, but that changed when he grew up. Adults couldn't be abused, not the same ways as kids. Not as if they weren't persons.

But he was a child again, one that had been captured by crazy men that hurted him, drugged him and were planning to use him for a sacrifice. It would not be that bad if Mako were their only victim, but they were planing of using children, ones young and full of a future ahead.

A part of him hoped that Kuvira or the Avatar would go and rescue the kids, help them to go to safety, to their houses. Safe at the arms of their family.

He blinked a few times trying to get used to darkness, a shiver roamed all his back and he hugged himself in an useless try to get warmer. Being sick was the worst part of everything for the firbender. His mind wandered to toughs about death and his days on the streets.

He pondered if he would die due the sickness, the same was that Old Lunky, the pick-pocker of Piandoa Street. Poor child, four days of fever and at the five was demential talking about flying horses and next he was being carried away to be buried on the common pit. He had been 17, twice taller than 10 years old Mako and had gift him bread a lot of times. (And once stolen medicines for a group of sick childs, among then Mako and Bolin. He did that a lot and the doctor had to close his office)

Old Lunky, robber and saviour, it had no sense on the world that someone that made his life by stealing all the yuans of people would be so kind. So he had to die, and Mako could only wonder why had Old Lunky helped him to learn how to tie his shoes. If he hadn't, then it would have hurt less when his snarky voice faded away on the streets.

The first week Mako and other child marked the place where Old-Lunky passed away, his name wrote with solemnity. But that place was long go, no one cared about a tomb of a no-one in the first rebuilding of the city, much less after the destruction of almost all.

No one remembered Old Lunky, even his criminal record destroyed. That was the fate that was awaiting for the firebender too, dying feeling cold and completely alone.

The firebender layed on the bed, looking at the black roof, he didn't had his fire or any light.

Mako had stealed a lot, from Korra, Asami and especially Bolin. From the girls each other, from his brother his parents. From everyone else, Mako probably had took without noticing.

And so he bit his lips and though it was fair, on some sense, it was fair.

* * *

.

.

.

Kuvira wanted two things: save the Earth Kingdom and money to do it. That was the only reason why she decided to participate in a dangerous battles done in the underworld of a small city, one that she knew was destroyed by a radical group about 40 years before she was born. Everyone on the city shamed for their economical-political ties with the Fire Nation. For what Kuvira was concerned the people on the city were only traitors to her country and all their fellow citizens. And still her people.

She took a sip of water and watched the arena, a big square with ground of earth, two days more it would be the championship and Kuvira would have to figth against the biggest scam of the Earth Kingdom. A woman that had sided against her country in every turn, aiding the Avatar and the dammed Fire Lord without thinking it.

The metalbender knew defeating Toph Beifong wouldn't be easy with her handicapped powers, the Beifong was an expert in waiting and Kuvira was more the one that finished her battles fast after the attacker made a wrong move.

"Are you fine miss?" A tanned man with yellow teeth asked from behind Kuvira and she knew it was time to leave, she didn't even bother to answer the man, if he felt as trying something the metalbender would know what to do.

The sun was bright on the sky and there wasn't no avatar at view. If she was right on her history lessons she would meet the Avatar in a few days at the Arena. And she had a plan.

It was easy, defeat Toph, make herself the Avatar teacher and obliterate the Fire Nation on the day of the Black Sun using the Avatar State and the unknown skill of metalbending. After that victory, took over the Earth Kingdom by removing the puppet King and his advisors, if a 14 years old fire princess could so would the 23 years old Great Uniter

A group of children ran pass her and the metalbender felt the familiar pang of sadness that followed her every time she remembered Mako. She tried to not think about him or the future of where both came, the memories simply deprived her of sleep and made her want to punch people.

On the last days, she had finally remembered who was Mako, the bodyguard of Wu and rumor runned that the prince's lover (as if!), had the boduguard not being brother of Bolin (the useless betrayer) she would have kidnapped him, the obvious hostage that Raiko would use to control Wu. Mako had been just a simple piece that Kuvira had wanted to control but was unable to and so she moved on her plans, even if it sorted her that Raiko had that pawn at his disposal.

Kuvira clenched her teeth, Mako wasn't a toy, he was kind and had a childish sense of of humor, and so many people had used him. That had probably make him decide it was his fate to never be loved. Days ago, when he was on her mind a small boy with cold, the only thing the metalbender was certain was that Mako self-love needed an adjustment, it was so low he had asked to be left behind at his death on the cave, so she wanted to fix that, along with his fear of abandonment.

Those were things she knew since first day, after all reading people was an skill that had served her to manipulate and break others, as she had done with Mako at the end.

She almost slipped at that memory, the way that he had screamed and cried. He had attacked her first so Kuvira trow at his face his lack of love. He had deserved it but at the same time she couldn't stop the guilty that weighed on her chest when she recalled everything.

The streets began to get emptier, and in Kuvira mind they looked lonelier and sad. She looked at the twilight, she had been walking aimlessly during a lot of time thinking about something as nonsensical as the firebender.

She keep looking at the sky, a treacherous part of her mind pondered if Battar would come as he did before, in another time, grabbing her from behind and resting his head on her shoulder, making the negative feelings vanish as if he had casted a spell.

He wouldn't come, because she had killed him.

Why did the Avatar kidnapped him? Why had she made him betray Kuvira? Why did he asked to give up on everyone dreams? But his faults and the ones of the Avatar were nothing compared to Kuvira foolishnes in surrending herself against the lazy Avatar.

And Kuvira was back at square one of self-loathing, blaming the Avatar and getting mad about everything. She had heard about depression but now she finally understood it, it was her own mind against herself and it was a terrible enemy because she couldn't beat her brain on a fisical battle... If time-travel was possible maybe there was a way to beat up her mind (alter-ego).

She laughed at the idea, it was silly and something that just proved how deep on the hole she was.

"So you are the runt wanting to play with the big-guys" a joyful voice asked from behind Kuvira and the metalbender failed to suppress a small yell, the person laughed with the freedom of a child "I was wanting to see you"

Kuvira watched the kid, her clothes were of fancy material, her bangs almost covered her eyes, the girl was barefoot and had a wicked smile. Toph Beifong style hadn't changed even 70 years later (or before?), and Kuvira was not pleased to meet her, she still wanted to bury the old-woman for sabotaging the Earth Empire and this was testing her patience.

The situation was symilar as the one with Mako: she didn't want to attack a child out of nowhere, for much despicable that they had been, or would be.

Finally she decided to address the impertinent child in front of her.

"Go away!" Kuvira ordered as she waved her hand, and walked away. This was not the moment to defeat the Beifong. The plan was doing it on the pit and the middle of the streets were definitely not a place for two high benders to brawl.

Except the girl didn't care about collateral damage as much as Kuvira.

The ground beneath Kuvira shifted fastly and the metalbender had to jump to get away from a small hole that the blind girl had made. Beifong found her sneak attack funny and smirked at Kuvira.

The metalbender blinked, feeling the rage build up. Unlike Republic City the place they were was completely Earth Kingdom, even in the past. She wasn't the kind of person that destroyed something that she was supposed to protect when there was another alternative as waiting.

 _And what about Mako?_ Kuvira mind whispered out of nowhere, she could have waited for him to calm down... She had promised to protect him...and he had attacked her without warning... As had Toph.

Suddenly Kuvira was throwing small rocks at Toph, some did hit but the girl was enough good to banish inside the ground, to an unseen place.

Kuvira looked at the houses at every side of the street, knowing well that bending to much would destroy them. She closed her eyes waiting for the right moment.

 _Republic City was on ruins, a wasteland due Kuvira actions. Streets, hospitals and schools oblirated to dust. Why had she played that game? The Avatar game was impossible to win. No one could be most destructive and powerful than the Avatar. The metalbender felt the iron taste on her tongue and Bataar voice asked her once again to go back and live together._

 _"Why?" A child asked and Kuvira knew she was losing her mind, that everything was just on her mind and that the boy wasn't there, so she stepped strongly and attacked._

Toph was so certain of her ventage, of her power, that she had not imagined that Kuvira could connect an attack, direct to the gut. But now she knew, and if her eyebrows were a sign, then she would take this seriously.

* * *

.

.

It felt as an eternity, but thanks to the tracking skills of Zuko (Sokka had not been happy), they had finally found the town where Kuvira was in. She would had something of her brother and then they would use Jun help to track him.

That had been Sokka plan.

They were above the town, Zuko was crossing his arms and Sokka was gripping his boomerang.

"Why are you helping us?" Katar asked. It was something that Aang had wanted to ask since the beginning, but he was afraid that the Prince would be broken out of his chant once he had to do more than following clues on a messy girl with a braid that might or not killed bandits.

"They said they had one 'of my kind', someone young!" Zuko gestured wildly with his hands, a hint of exasperation on his voice "After this...you all are done for!" He pointed a menacing finger.

Aang chuckled a little, Sokka gripped his boomerang more and Katara made a face between amusement and reprobation.

On the young airbender mind they were on their way to be friends.

No far away a cloud of dust went up, and Aang knew they had found her. For the first time everything seemed to be going good.

* * *

Kuvira couldn't believe her luck, the Avatar had come to her (and Toph). He had asked her if she had something of Mako, because the stupid had been kidnapped again (he deserved it for betraying Kuvira)

The metalbender gave them his old purple clothes and was asked to go alongside them.

It was true that Toph and the Fire Lord Zuko weren't on the metalbender plan, but if she went and helped them, and something happened to Mako, then everything would work fine for Kuvira. She would have the Avatar, two talented benders and a genius no-bender at her side. And at any moment she could dispose of the Fire Lord if he couldn't be used as a puppet.

"So we are going to rescue -this- brother?" Toph asked happily to Avatar Aang.

"Yes" the bald monk answered solemnly "Don't worry Kuvira, we will rescue your brother, trust us"

Kuvira was wiser to be fooled by the false compassion of the Avatar twice.

"I do" she said with a practiced sad smile. They were hers to use for her plan. All of them.

* * *

...

 **Will ccontinue (probably)**


	10. Without hope there isn't salvation

Without hope there isn't salvation.

The morning began with screams of childs, more accurately the whinings of the new (old?) team Avatar.

Toph Beifong was a bossy girl, the Fire Lord was an angsty broody teen, Avatar Aang a really conflict avoidant boy and healer Katara and councilman Sokka were very controling people. They were just a ticking bomb waiting to explode and it did. On the first day of travel.

Kuvira looked at them again, Katara was mad at Toph because the younger didn't want to help to make her tent and Sokka at Zuko were throwing killing glares at each other: the future Fire Lord didn't want to help to fish (in Kuvira opinion the teen was trying to save face) Aang had tried twice to break the other childs spats without luck.

There had been a time were Kuvira played at being part of the famous Team Avatar, days of her childhood were she defeated a grinning Bataar, he liked to play as the evil Fire Lord Ozai just to let her to be the hero. She wasn't remembering her fiance or how she used fans to try to airbender, those were things for the night when her mind would betray her and nag her with all her shame. Instead of that, Kuvira was feeling sick of the high pitched screams team Avatar made, that was why kids were better as concept far away from her.

She concentrated on ignoring them, there was a plan that needed smalls adjustments to work. For example keeping the future Fire Lord Zuko alive was better idea that a mysterious death, having him at their side would serve to keep the Fire Nation controlled and not on a dangerous turmoil that could grew bigger. In the other side she could take advantage of the chaos in the Fire Nation if no one was there to rule it and take over it too.

Ruling over Ba Sing Se would be possible if she acquired access to the actual puppet King, there was a guy that she had to remove first, but considering that an schizophrenic 14 years old girl could so would Kuvira.

There were plans of long reach, but the only points that were clear at short notice were having the Avatar at her side and defeating the Fire Nation on the Day of The Black Sun, the day were an eclipse would make firebending impossible for a few hours and made an other wise hard enemy a really easy target.

"Don't worry. We will save your brother" Katara had gotten near Kuvira at some point and had confused her scheming with a true concern for Mako, but the water bender couldn't be more wrong.

The third axis of her new found plan was getting rid of Mako: he was an inconvenience that knew too much and would be a problem if let alive. He had been sick so maybe the illness would spare her the need of doing the deed herself..

Kuvira felt her skin get hot and the world began to spin a little, as if she were sick again, but the sensation faded away almost as fast as it came.

Not far away she could hear that the two guys were again speaking and not being a word away of changing fists.

"So where is your girlfriend again?" (Not yet) Councilman Sokka asked with a mocking tone to the firebender.

"SHE IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" he screamed and of his nose came a little bit of smoke.

The girl they were seeking, Jun, was a bounty hunter with an animal that could track even across continents. They only needed something with the aroma of the person they seeked and money. Kuvira closed her eyes on a futile intent to forget it would be her money, as even Toph Beifong travelled almost with empty pockets. She had not enough time to think about her misfortune.

The firebender teen tried to punch the southern boy, and the water bender sister had to rescue her brother. The blind eartbender laughed whit that annoying laugh and Kuvira had to use all her control to not scream. Or put them on their knees as an adult scolding kids for bad behavior.

Only Aang was kind of a good kid but he was an airbender and Kuvira knew those people had been involved on Bataar kidnap and later they had actively show themselves as enemies willing to use ugly kids that licked windows. His cultural status wasn't the only reason of her mistrust, Aang was still the Avatar, and as far as the metalbender knew Avatars were lazy crybabies that ran away always, even if they promised hope and help.

She felt the hot ire on her throat and decided she needed to take a small walk. Cool off away of those childs that even if useful were cause of stress or bad memories.

* * *

.

.

.

The leader of the cult was an old man named Piet, a powerful Lord if the words of his followers were an indication. One with fortress, men and a plan to destroy the Fire Nation with the aid of an spirit. That information was provided by the Lord himself.

The door of the small cell opened and Mako counted six loud steps before he could see the man, Mako did that action more as custom of another time that any genuine care.

Lord Piet arrived to Mako cell on a ritual he had done since the first day they meet, the old man would insult and hit the firebender. There was hatred on every word and contained punch, something about how people as Mako were savages monsters and soon they would be punished by the Great Spirit.

Four days of having to endure the crazy man were driving Mako further on his mind, the safe place where feelings or hope were forgotten and the outside world was simply happening. Almost like on his teen years, the only things Mako needed to do was eat, sleep and try to keep Bolin safe. As his jailors provided food and shelter and Bolin was safe on another place and time, Mako endured all that was thrown at him in a numb silence.

"Three more days and you will die" Lord Piet said as he smiled wickedly, his green eyes fixated on Mako, expecting a reaction that as always didn't come.

The eartbender left the room after slapping Mako, leaving the firebender with a red mark on his cheek. Everything was dark after the man closed the metal door but Mako's mind didn't bothered to make him feel enough mad or scared to try to scheme a plan to escape.

He was in a blissful numbness in wich he didn't think about anything. Destroyed cities, cold exes, time travel or the other person that was the same as him and her well-being, all those things were forgotten finally and as any man without hope he didn't do anything

He went to sleep and dreamed about monsters that ate kids on the darkness.

* * *

 _._

 _._

 _._

The pub where Jun was didn't let small kid enter, so Toph, Kuvira and Aang had to wait outside. The metalbender felt slightly mad that her money wasn't on her hands and would be used to track someone she wanted dead (but in order to save him).

All the morning squarels of team Avatar had made a number on her, taking her to the limit.

Finally four teen went out of the place. The bounty hunter was a tall girl with long black hair, her factions had a roughness of a worker and the femenine look that any woman wanted to have, she was as dangerous as pretty, very few women could compare, and Kuvira herself liked to use make up to make her eyes stand.

"This will be child cake" the woman toyed and mounted a big beast without eyes "Can you keep my peace, babies?"

After that she stormed off, the future Fire Lord hit his own forehead with force and Kuvira felt that meeting the woman would be worthy all the money if only to see the firebender make a clown of himself.

"Let's follow Zuko girlfriend" Toph laughed as she earthbend herself to Appa mount.

* * *

The travel was long, enough to make the stars and an almost new moon rise. The thought of what had happened on the future, her mistakes and regrets growing in size.

All were camping on the forest and she was leaning on a rock, looking at the sky without really looking.

Kuvira stared at the moon, at her side Sokka was concentrated on the moon.

"We will rescue your brother. I know this has been hard for you, it's a heavy duty but that's what happens when we are the older, isn't it?" He sounded melancholic, and his eyes didn't leave the black moon even when he asked Kuvira that.

"He isn't my brother" Kuvira answered, she remembered when he was sick on the bed, how he had reached for her hand, a promise made to someone that didn't exist. She hated all that "He isn't my duty"

"Really?!" Sokka finally faced her, he looked angry "He is younger than you, he needs you!"

"For me the moon spirit can eat him" Kuvira sighed, she was mad at her situation, being with the loud team Avatar, being stuck on the past when firebenders were destroying her home, and who knew if her future home was safe at Republic City hands or if Baatar had even a proper burial. Mako fate was not her priority and more because she wanted him gone.

"The Moon Spirit is pretty and kind and would never harm anybody!" Sokka got up and began to move himself to Katara side "And Mako is your duty"

Kuvira suppressed a laugh, the Moon Spirit pretty? It wasn't like if the folk tale of a Princess of white hair becoming the moon was true, it was only a myth for the water tribe people.

And maybe Mako, after all he had dreamed..

Kuvira halted on her thoughts, it was not possible. A cat meowed somewhere and Kuvira got up, going to the sound, to find the cat with two hats, and the answers to questions she had forgotten.

The path was illuminated by the white light of the full moon and the world began to fade little by little at each step.

* * *

 _Kuvira opened her eyes in a unknown place, somewhere she had never been before. Inside a tower of a castle of metal, there was a party inside and outside candy colored clouds were cushons for the birds._

 _It was a dream, the metal walls and the marmol floor were just an illusion of Kuvira mind, a place that wanted to look as majestic and safe as she wanted._

 _Nothing was real, but still she knew here were the answers to everything..._

 _A cat with two hats smiled at her and a white haired girl nodded her head with solemnity._

 _"Who are you?" Kuvira asked with her strong adult voice, this place was her mind and she was not longer a child "What happened to me?_

 _"Obelon" the cat began floating on the air, its eyes on Kuvira's "I'm the spirit protector of childs. I gave you and the other your old bodies so you could live"_

 _"You are trangersors of the world and so were outcasted of it" the white haired girl stod up and walked toward Kuvira, her clothes floating majestically with an eery air" I took you to another place and another time: Another world"_

 _It had no sense, everything had no sense._

 _"Why until now? Why saying this to me now? Why not when this all began!" Kuvira snapped at them, because she had felt crazy and now the reason of her young body and being on the past was handed to her so easily, without she seeking it. Spirits as she had hipothized, but that only made her more mad "What is different now!"_

 _"The first reason is that you seeked us, the second is tha a man is breaching the spirit world and fisical world, he is about to do a horrible ritual with children" the cat was no longer smiling and his voice cracked at every word "Your friend among them"_

 _"He isn't my friend" Kuvira sentenced and the false world faded away, the last thing Kuvira saw were blue judging eyes._

Kuvira woke up and looked at the pitch dark night. It didn't matter if the world denied her existence, not when everything was more clear than before, when she was certain there was only another time traveler and when there were kids (hers citizens) life at risk.

She had never felt more alive.

* * *

To be continued.

* * *

 **Will Kuvira succeed in her plan? Would I get even good at writing? Would anyone review?**

 **Now, I said before that only two chapter left (I think that about 3 chaps ago, the following one is the final) thanks to everyone that has read this far.**


	11. Time changes everything

**This might suck but at least I did it...I hope, that even for a second I have made someone smile.**

* * *

 **Time changes everything**

Kuvira knew what to do, save the kids and get rid of Mako. Sokka words had not changed her views a little about the inconvenience of letting him survive, responsibility was something she had felt before, when he was a kid with a bright smile, when he had been a small kid wanting his mom on the delirium of his sickness, not the adult friend of the Avatar that attacked Kuvira out of nowhere.

She hated to think about the promises she made days ago. He had deceived her all that time, that stupid didn't deserve to live, to hurt Kuvira again.

Those were toughs for another time, she had important things to do.

The fortress was different that the one Kuvira knew, almost all of it was underground according to Toph.

Jun, the bounty hunter had bid them farewell once the enemy looked slightly troublesome, Kuvira knew it had more to do with the price rate that any fear of part of the woman. Jun was reckless but she wouldn't work for free. She would be useful when Kuvira made herself the Emperator but not as much as Beifong.

Toph had been making a map of the place with her bending, she was awful skilled, she had made a map and localized the placement of 16 childs.

There was a dungeon divided in 4 half circles, in the center there was only one child, in that level there was an odd door that was according to Toph, "only there", leading to nowhere.

In the following levels the boys were distributed in 3,5 and 7. Those chambers were guarded of the outside by a lot of men.

Sokka looked thoughtful at the map, he was an estrategic boy and would figure out a plan to win even if they were outclassed. Kuvira didn't knew if he would be an hindrance or an asset for her, but now his mind would play on her favour go save the childs.

"We will divide ourselves in 3 groups, the first one 'A' will be a decoy in the superfice, that way we would divide their forces, the other two will sneak up. Group B will take the kids to the backside meanwhile the other will fight them until the childs are safe" Sokka said as he placed a rock in front of the replica of the fortress.

"Who would be in wich group?" Aang asked.

"Group A will be Aang and me, we will make ourselves to look as we were a bigger number that we are. Group B is Katara and Kuvira and C Toph and Zuko" Sokka said deep in thought "I'm sorry this is the best plan we have"

"We will make it work" Kuvira sentenced. It was easy to see the reasoning, Aang was the Avatar and could definitely look as an army with proper guidance. It would made a lot of man on the underground to go up and try to defend.

Toph and Zuko were very aggressive benders and could pull out a very solid resistance when Kuvira and Katara took the childs to safety.

It would work, the only thing left was what to do with Mako if he was still alive.

...

An hour later, everything looked perfect. They had knocked a few guards and where just outside the door that led to the children.

It had been easy to sneak up to the childs chambers, Zuko knew a lot about infiltration and with Toph knowing where the unseen enemies were all group B had to do was free the childs of the ropes that bind them to wooden beds.

The chambers were interconnected and inside were unwarded, according to Toph, so plan was to be sneaky.

"There is a door of metal before the inner dungeon" the earthbender said in a low voice as they walked in the four chambers, the place was big and was illuminated with red glowing rocks. It looked as a pit to the death.

"Let's divide" Katara whispered as she put her hand on Kuvira shoulder without asking permission "Zuko free the kids of this section, Toph of the one that follows and Kuvira and me of the inner part"

"Bossy" Toph sang and began to walk to the next chambers, Kuvira could make the face of Katara getting red and Zuko wisely slipped away. Childs.

It took them fifteen minutes to finally arrive to the metal door, it was cold and as Kuvira put her hand on it she could feel the fear creeping on her body, metalbending the door would be a painful task but she would be dammed if she let a kid die due her fear of a small cut.

Katara had been fast and she had already freed the three kids on that section, all were gathered behind the water bender and looked as confused as the time Kuvira had rescued them, and as before they knew how to keep themselves quiet.

"Can you earthbend a door?" the water bender asked, a hint of plea on her young voice.

"No, this place feels off. Any earthbending could cause it to come down" Kuvira said as she traced the border of the door, it was true and for much it forced Kuvira to metalbend the weak structure of the place made the earthbending of the guards as useless as hers, wich mean an adventage to Kuvira group.

"The one inside was the firebender" a girl snarled "We should simply go!"

The metalbender turned herself fast, her heart beating on her chest hotly.

"Mako risked himself to save you!" she kept her voice calm but her glare was enough to make the kid hide behind Katara.

After few seconds a realization dawned to the metalbender. Mako was impossible to rescue without metalbending, something only herself could do. Kuvira couldn't believe her luck. She had not to be as direct as she feared in getting rid of Mako, it was only necessary to walk away to outside and all would be solved.

"It must exist a way to open the door. It doesn't even has a lock" Kuvira said as she went to Katara side "Let's go with the rest and we will figure how"

Katara didn't try to talk to Mako, as Kuvira she walked away without giving him false hope. The metalbender could feel a cold on her chest and had to master herself to keep moving without looking back, it was necessary.

It didn't took long for group regruping, Katara looked unerved and gave a glance to Kuvira before talking with the other members of "Team Avatar"

"We...Toph, can you metalbend? Mako, the friend of Kuvira is behind a metal door The water tribe asked softly.

"I can try!"

Before Kuvira could think of any way to go away without returning for Mako a group of guards arrived to the scene, the blind girl was smirking and somehow Kuvira knew why.

Without their bending they had no chance against Katara and Zuko. Vitory could almost be tasted under her tongue, except one of the men lacked enough common sense and skills to know that the place was earthbend proof.

A chunk of earth almost hit Zuko from behind, Toph outsmarted the move with a fast attack to the guard chest with the same rock. Even if it had been just one earthbending move the place began to crumble almost immediately.

The stupid guard had bended too much and now the place was coming down, the guards noticed and began to run away.

"Let's go!" Zuko said as he pointed at the direction that the guards had gone.

"Wait!" Katara halted them all "What about Mako?"

"I'm in charge of him" Kuvira said, knowing that there was no time to lose, for the sake of the kids, she looked at the man that Toph had almost knocked out "I will figure a way to save him! You must take the kids outside. I'm an eartbender, saving Mako and me would be easier if I know you aren't here in danger! Go! fast! There is no time to lose"

"She is right" Zuko put his hand on Katara shoulder and she gave Kuvira a sorrowful look but she still went along the rest and banished on the next corner.

Kuvira could barely hear Toph saying "She is lying"

The guard began to compose himself and Kuvira kicked him back to the ground, she was still unable to bend but the force of an eleven years old girl over the head would have to do, from the corner of her eyes she could see the shine of a metal on the man waist and her rout of action shifted.

The man could barely believe that he had been launched to the wall by a metal plate on his throat, and Kuvira could see his bare fear without problem.

"Where is your leader?!" Getting rid of the monster that kidnapped kids was better than losing time at nothing, after all she couldn't reunite with the group so fast as if she hadn't tried to rescue Mako.

"Lord Piet is a ground below, at the other side of the dungeons! Please, let me go!" Kuvira smiled and launched the man to the rute of scape, he began to run full of fear.

The place was shaking and Kuvira could see a lot of men runing, no one of them had the authority of a Lord. Even if weak minded Lords liked to believe themselves above other humans.

Finding Lord Piet exactly where his man had said felt amazing, a winning after another was something she liked and knew she could do.

The man was old, his nose was crocked and looked as a good eartbender, he lacked enough reflexes to counter a fast attack of one of his metal lockers, the place glowed red thanks to the rocks and there was an odd smell that was familiar coming from everywhere.

"So you are the famous Lord Piet" Kuvira said as she looked at the constrained man.

"You are the sister of the firebender rat" he spatted.

"He isn't my brother" Kuvira corrected, her eyes traveled to images of monsters on papers on the wall.

"So you betray our country for NOTHING?" The man screamed.

"Betray?" Kuvira raised one of her eyebrows and felt as closing the casket of the man a little bit more, even if the cuts on her palms were beggining to burn.

"I have done all for our country! Sacrificed everything to bring us this! And you ruined that!" He was mad and reeking of self-righteousness, and that annoyed the metalbender.

"No, you kidnapped childs! You wanted to murder them for your sick plan! You didn't sacrifice anything" Kuvira said with icy voice"You only stole from others and deceived yourself to look as a hero, when you are only a coward"

"You don't understand, I did ALL for my country! Only I could do it! Those kids would have wanted it too!"

The metalbender felt repulsion on every inch of her body. They were just little children, they needed to be protected and one day they would live good on the Earth Nation, on her Empire, or anywhere... Their life's weren't a toy, even if the Avatar or the man in front of her wanted to believe themselves great for doing it.

She had hated the Air Nation for making a small boy fight her with paint balloons, almost like if he was a sacrifice to war, and now she faced something more twisted, a man willing to kill children without remorse.

"You are a monster" Kuvira sentenced icly as she closed the door behind her, moving the metal lock to made it close from the inside, she had to spit out to remove the bitter taste of what she had heard.

The place was falling and victory was hers, the childs free and now no one would stop her, everything would be easy, except that her body wasn't going to the outside, she was rooted in that place, enchanted by what was in front of her.

Baatar, Suyin, her men. All them..

She could recognize the smell finally, from another place and time, on an swamp that couldn't protect itself even if it made people see things, Baatar had said it was the gases of the place, it was an hallucinogen, and she was walking straight to it.

"Come with me" Bataar asked from behind her, it was just her mind. Kuvira didn't stop walking, the apparition didn't made sense because Kuvira was on the past and the person hadn't even been born, even if his voice was as warm and welcoming as in those days "Don't go"

She closed her eyes, even in her mind her boyfriend asked for her a safer future. It was what she had wanted..but..

 _"Why"_ a ghost of one of her dead soldiers asked " _Why did you give up?"_

Kuvira closed her eyes and forced another step, and a small hand touched her elbow, she saw Mako in there, a sad smile on his lips " _Are you fine?"_

It was false, a play of her head. Mako was there, alone, dying, even when Kuvira had promised him before that she would protect him, she had made an oath, and..

" _You don't have to go! Come with me Kuvira!"_ Baatar begged from the way to the outside, to the exit and victory, and the image of Mako, the one that needed her the most vanished without a trace, leaving Kuvira with only memories of the things they have done, rescuing people, getting drunk and looking freely at the clouds.

She knew what to do, it was the hard way but she began to walk to the dungeons.

It had no sense, Mako sacrifice was necessary but her body wasn't in sincrony with her mind. He was...not someone that she could trow away as easily. He was alone, on a dark place and needed her help, she was the only one that could rescue him.

"This is stupid!" Kuvira said as she evaded a rock, going to him had no sense, it would ruin all her planes. And he had betrayed her. But, leaving him to die, it would make his ghost follow her too, weighting more than any other because he would forgive her with his sad fake smile.

He was dumb like that.

 _"Why go for him?"_

"I'm in charge of him, if I let him die on this way, then I would have betrayed everyone hopes! You believed me in my search for building a better world! You lived and died for that dream, and I won't let your memory be tarnished by my cowardice anymore!"

" _Then go"_ her soldiers smiled at her and bowed as always, she wanted to face them, but knew that it was not time for it.

A chunk of earth fell and she couldn't evade it on time, her left leg took the brunt. She assted the place one more time and keep walking. It was hurtful to walk, and the walls were crumbling. The place was tainted red but it would be enough for her to do it.

* * *

Mako layed on a bed of cold concrete, every muscle of his body aching and he felt overwhelmed by numbness, still he could see a door in front of him, an hour before it had been just a door of metal in the middle of the room, taking to nowhere.

But the purple colors and the buzzing sound was familiar, when harmonic convergence happened, when he was fighting near the portals of the spirit and fisical world.

It was a sort of portal, one that would free a monster that was black and had big green eyes with yellow pupils.

Mako knew his end was near, so much that he could taste in his dry mouth. He closed his eyes and wished to be knocked off instead of awake, looking at the death face, before in any life threatening situation he had never really tough about dying, always more worried about something else, but now he had enough time to acknowledge that fate.

The fate of his parents and a lot of kids on the streets, as old Lanky that liked to laugh and pat kids on their heads saying that all would be fine on "old Lanky hands". Mako feel a little bit of remorse for having forgotten about him.

Bitter memories were better as words without sound or images attached to them. His parents had been killed in front of him, that Mako knew but he had forgotten about his mother smile and his father laugh in the same way that he couldn't recall how they looked as they died. Not burning faces nor screams of agony.

He couldn't deal with any of that, his body had rejected the notion of acknowledging things that caused him pain, so it was only his delirium that brought the memory of a death teen.

But, as he stared once again to the crumbling roof he found peace, or more accurately complete numbness, die young die alone, that was simple, the end, his fate.

"Mako!" someone was screaming his name, making the ache on his head more strong. Still, he recognized the voice. She among everyone returned for him when things looked bleak, he didn't recall anyone doing that before.

"The kids!" he managed to conjure fire to burn the ropes on his hands, the monster on the door to the Spirit World was coming out as some kind of purple gas "There are kids! Go save them!"

"It's done!" Kuvira scream came out muffled but still was understandable, she began to grunt and the metal door moved a little, Mako freed himself finally and tried to run to the door, but his vision was blurry and keeping the equilibrium was impossible, so he began to craw, feeling that something was trying to grab him.

He was going to die, the place was falling, there was a demon behind him and his enemy was there to see it. He shouldn't feel any kind of hope, that was his mind was trying to warn him above the headache, because the true is that he was scared of dead and loniless, but more than that was afraid of being cast away...if only he could turn off his feelings and accept his death, loniless and the rejection he could be as before and accept his bitter end...

His hand clutched the ground and his skin was hot. Everything hurt. "I want to live"

* * *

Her hands were getting soaked with blood and the remnants of the smoke were still weighing on her mind. All that stopped mattering when the door bulged and she found Mako panting on the ground, a smoke creature loming over him.

She grabbed Mako in piggyback as fast as she could, putting her bad leg to use even if it was painful, but she couldn't hold the pacing for too long and began to limp. The place was falling and only due their small size she could pass through, the roof still was handling but it wouldn't last.

The creature following her with a slowness that made it more creepy, moaning with a lot of voices. She hated spirits, a lot.

"Let me here" Mako said out of nowhere with a small voice, she felt he heart shrink a little, because she could see his arms bruises and hear his ragged breath "It wants me. If you let me...you can make it, get away. I hate you. And you hate me, so let me here!"

"I have walked with a limp and attacked ghosts to save you" she said with a mechanical voice "You are wrong if you think I would let you here only for petty words"

She hadn't noticed how he had gripped her shoulder until he let it go.

Kuvira keep walking until reaching a closed chamber.

The place was glowing red and there was no escape anymore, she didn't knew what to do except turn around and face the enemy defiant with all she had. The spirit entered the place showing its glowing eyes for first time and still moaning with hundreds of voices.

"Thanks" Mako pushed himself off and tried to walk to the monster, Kuvira hand reached him automatically to stop him. Mako gave her a fake smile and waved off the hand "Thanks Kuvira"

The lighting blinded her for a couple of seconds and the sound of inhuman screams echoed in the chamber. The place began to fall immediately and Kuvira saw Mako injured face at the dim of the red glowing rocks. He was smiling truly this time.

There was nothing but darkness after.

.

.

.

Kuvira opened her eyes at the ligtht of the sun, she was on an open place and she could see a Bison above the blavk hair of someone. She opened her eyes more and finally realized she was hugging a very warm Mako.

"Kuvira!" Katara kneeled at their side and with glowing water began to heal Mako injuries, his small form was full of bruises and injuries, but he was alive. As she was.

"What happened?"

"Toph and Aang found you! You made a cover for you and him" the water bender was smiling softly at Kuvira but returned to heal Mako, as she should.

"I see" Kuvira closed her eyes and raised up.

"You are limping"

"Yes, I am" Kuvira shrugged off and walked to the giant bison. The Avatar was in there, his eyes were puffy "Thanks for saving us"

"Wait!" Aang bowed "I'm sorry! If I had been a better Avatar, nothing would have happened!"

"You are a child" Kuvira found herself saying, she was truly grateful for his aid, and as with Mako she had a weakness for children "You are doing the best you can"

" It isn't enough" he cried a little again "You, the world is suffering because of me"

"Aang, in the world there is suffering, you didn't cause it. I have done bad things" as killing Baatar, destroying Republic City and surrending go an Avatar that unlike Aang was a runaway that leaved when everyone needed "What happened wasn't your fault, but you still want to make everything better, you are an amazing Avatar"

She smiled and turned away to try to find Toph, she felt calm and tired, but for first time remembering what she had done wrong wasn't hurtful.

"Kuvira" Mako Incorporated himself and Kuvira walked to his side, they both asked Katara to leave "We are alive. Thanks to you. After all the things I did you still.. And I was so horrible..

The metalbender hugged Mako before he could keep talking "Yes, we are alive, I'm so happy that you are alive, stupid!"

Mako hugged her back and began to laugh "Why did you come back?"

"Because it's my duty" he smirked and Kuvira found that cute, weakness to cuteness was something she wasn't expecting of herself "Because I like you"

"I love you too Kuvira" Mako smile widened "So now what? What should we do?"

"The same we did before, in the past, or future...try to bring peace to the world. This time on the same team"

"Yes, let's save the world together!" Mako laughed a few times and went back to sleep, peaceful.

Kuvira looked at Team Avatar bickering about chores again, it was different of what she expected. But in a world in wich everything was different, time, bodies and allies she found that some things were the same, as her dislike for disorder.

This would be a nightmare, but as she glanced at Mako, she knew all would work out.

* * *

 **End.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	12. Special

**Mako and Kuvira are stuck in the past, their bodies of little children and traveling along team Avatar.**

 **Special: The unforgotten**

"What are you doing?" Mako asks Aang in that soft voice he has, so unlike the fierce bossy one of Kuvira.

It's night and everyone but them are sleeping. Aang leaning on Appa and Mako standing, the Avatar has to look up to see his friend face.

"Kuvira said someone had to watch, it's my turn, and in two more hours Zuko's" Aang answers.

"I can't sleep, I can take over" Mako says as he sits near Aang, one of his hands playing with Appa fur. Sometimes Aang believes Mako and Kuvira are old souls, acting as responsible adults almost at every hour of the day and keeping things in complete order. Other times he looks at Mako cracking at Sokka jokes or Kuvira forcing him to sing and they could become their age.

And in a lot of senses he feels protective about them, as the Avatar, as the friend, as their elder.

"Why couldn't you sleep?"

"Dunno" Mako shrugs, Aang wonders what to say next but there is nothing that he could ask without feeling as he overstepped.

 _"Why" his friend asks without forming, only a whistle of the wind wanting to torn Aang apart._

 _" Why" Aang echoes, tears streaming his face. Why were they gone, he wants to asks. Why is he alone and unable to save them. He holds the desire of touching them again, to run along them and dance in the wind in silent melody._

 _But he wants, above everything, to die among them. The fire captures him fulfilling his wishes and turning them, him, all, in ashes._

Aang wakes up. He can feel the remain hot of a flame, his fingertips have a ghost of a burn. It's then that the young boy realizes he had firebend. Shame flows him as a cascade and he knows he is crying, maybe he was already doing it before waking up.

Someone tugs him into a hug. It's familiar, warm, and most important safe.

"Shh! All is fine" Mako soothes with a practiced easiness.

"Thanks Mako"

Aang composes himself after a little, and finally forces his eyes to look at his hands. The hands of someone that was unable to save his friends. Hands that can make fire and burn the world.

"I was firebending!" He says beteween gritted teeth.

In any other circumstances Aang would have keep his rage out of his voice, he would have acknowledge that his friend can firebend and spating the words the way he did was at best umpolite. But Aang doesn't notice anything is wrong until he sees Mako forced smile.

"I didn't mean it like that -he apologizes -It's just, firebending took away..

Aang decides he should just shut up, he still can see the remains of his deseaced friends, or how he imagines they looked. He values his friendship with Mako and maybe that's lost too.

"It took my parents too, I understand " the young firebender says, an emphatic smile and sad eyes to fit his words, and Aang hears much more in that. Shame, pain and guilty. He knows those three feelings too well.

"I was dreaming of them. The Air Nomads. I just.." He is chocking before he can finish his sentence, it's too much to bear alone.

Mako clasps his shoulders and Aang fails in his embrace. For the first time in what looked as years, he mourns his people in long sobs, the jailed pain taking over his body and making him a whimpering child. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!I'm SORRY!"

Monk Gyatso puts his hand on Aang head, as fatherly and kindly as a hundred of years ago "It's fine Aang. I love you"

Aang opens his eyes after hearing those words. Mako is hugging him with his little arms, and there is not trace of Gyatso on the firebender, just perhaps a warm love that goes beyond time.

He lets first a small smile form on his lips before offering Mako a wide smile, even then, the tears didn't stop, but this time, he feels happy.

* * *

 **Need space on my doc manager...And for some reason I had this.**

 **Thanks for reading.**


	13. Special 2

**Special 2**

Some days Kuvira wakes up with her mouth tasting metal. And defeat.

It's quite the experience to remember the future (the past?). She knows there is no reason to beat herself over what happened. Her surrender at the Avatar had been a mistake, for what did the Avatar knew about suffering or compassion? The reincarnation of Aang was good only at runing away and making a mess whenever she went.

Kuvira hated to remember the time she felt safe in the arms of Avatar Korra. To trust the warm of the other woman, unable to remember all the pain the Avatar caused to her (taking Bataar hostage, making Kuvira battle inside a perfect City, putting children on the battlefield for reasons that she couldn't fathom)

She would like to spat at the ground whenever she recalled everything, but as she is, in the past and always surrounded by the old team Avatar she swallows the bilis.

"Are you fine?" Mako asks with his high pitched voice every time he is awake to presence Kuvira rutine.

He is an adult on a child body, she herself looks about 12, but young faces are still young faces, and Mako childish exterior bypass Kuvira walls. "I'm fine", she answers every time.

* * *

Kuvira likes to lie near Mako, his soft breathing helps her to sleep.

He has been near the death gates to many times, his white face marred with greenish bruises and his mouth stained with blood. Or he has been feverish on the bed, between delirium and madness.

She doesn't wants to love him but there is duty mixed with attachment, and so her fondness is big. Mako feelings for her are a mystery, he likes her but Kuvira has the impression he is only hanging around waiting for something and would take her enemy side if Bolin or anyone else of his past arrived.

Zuko sometimes talks about those ideals of his corrupted country. Even if he is a teen, Kuvira hates his voice and dramatic outbursts. She has to scold her face and body just to listen to the boy gibberish. He is going to be useful, a tool for the future and nothing more.

She almost feels pity that the teen lacks the brain to understand his position. He has betrayed his country, cooperating with the Avatar is pretty much a Coup D'etat, but Zuko is just watching in turmoil unable to process what he is doing and what he is going to do for Kuvira.

Sokka understands. And for that Kuvira is grateful.

He is a dangerous ally that would keep her mind keen, he is the kind of person that sees too much. He is perhaps an enemy in the making. She wonders how long they would dance around the knifes.

Toph is another player that ought to be treated with care. The girl knows that Mako and Kuvira are more than what they look but she likes Mako. They fought and somehow Toph got in her head the firebender was a funny friend. Whatever reason, as long as Kuvira keep Mako around, Toph would not think about betraying anyone.

Katara is motherly and idealistic. That makes her both the most simple to figure out and the one that had a more bloodlust potential. Kuvira had been there, young and wanting the world to change, just to figure out one day that it's impossible to keep the hands clean.

Last person on her list, Aang. He is funny and she enjoys his company. Perhaps another Avatar playing the "I understand you" game, his cute face hiding an egoist capable of letting the world to rot as the Avatar of her time did.

Even then, she laughs along Aang and has grabbed his hand. Still, she tries to keep her heart on guard so if Aang kidnaps Mako, Kuvira would acknowledge it as the most likely possibility and not a betrayal.

She shares the same fire as them, but she can't forget the taste of the Avatar using her heart against her, how once she trusted a wolf dressed as a sheep. Maybe the time was different, but the world and how it worked, that never changes.

* * *

 **With this I only have one fic of lok left of my doc manager. The story ended in chapter 11 but this two stories were on my mind about a year ago but I felt no one would have liked them, but I couldn't get rid of them. So instead I posted them and I will hope, that at least a person enjoyed it.**

 **Bye**


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